One week after a earthquake shattered his homeland, Haitian-born singer/songwriter Wyclef Jean stood before assembled journalists at a press conference with tears falling down his cheeks, and lied his azz off.
Wyclef called the press conference to defend his so-called charity, Yele, from accusations of sloppy record keeping, money mismanagement and self-profiting from the misfortune of others.
“Have we made mistakes? Yes,” Jean said Monday. “Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefit? Absolutely not.”
Wyclef went on to recount how he helped pick up dead bodies from the ravaged streets of Haiti. Yet the day before the press conference, while his people were still buried alive under rubble, Wyclef was basking in the glare of hot lights on the sunny beaches of Miami shooting a video to beg for even more money for a charity that doesn’t even have a staff or the resources to help with disaster relief.
Wyclef spent only 2 short days in Haiti before returning to the states on Saturday (Jan. 16). He hasn’t been back to Haiti since.
Today, Oprah will air a one hour special on Haiti with performances by Rihanna and Maxwell. Wyclef will talk about his couple of days there and beg for more money.
On Friday, Wyclef will shoot a two-hour telethon with celebrities such as George Clooney, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Justin Timberlake and CNN’s Anderson Cooper who helped save a wounded boy from a mob in Haiti this week.
The money will be divided up between Yele and other charity organizations already on the ground in Haiti helping the people.
