Mississippi Guv Denies He’s a Secret Fan of Medicaid Expansion

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is a publicly ferocious opponent of Medicaid expansion—but he was accused Thursday of secretly believing it’s great. Former University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones said that during a meeting in 2013 or 2014, Reeves extolled the benefits of the program. “He put his hand up and said, ‘Chancellor, I recognize it would be good for Mississippians, good for our economy, good for health care if we expanded Medicaid,’” Jones said, according to Mississippi Today. “I had a big smile on my face and said, ‘I’m so glad to hear you’re going to support expansion.’ His response? ‘Oh no, I’m not going to support it because it’s not in my personal political interest.’” Reeves called that account “obviously a lie,” in a tweet. “I’d bet I hadn’t talked to this dude since well before he was fired by Ole Miss, and I never would have said this… The liberal media will print a lie about me all day, so Democrat activists lie.”