Musician Wyclef Jean formerly announced his intention to run for president of Haiti on CNN’s Larry King Live last night.
Wyclef’s only qualification to run for president of Haiti seems to be the fact that he was born there. But, as critics point out, Jean is rarely present on the island and he can’t even speak the native language: creole and French.
Jean, a classic narcissist who has been accused of misappropriating funds designated for Haitian relief, said: “Now that our country has toppled, it’s a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up.”
But not everyone is thrilled that he’s in the running for election.
Outspoken actor Sean Penn, who has lived in Haiti for the past 6 months helping to rebuild the earthquake ravaged Port au Prince, wonders aloud where Wyclef has been.
“What the Haitian people need now is a leader who is genuinely willing to sacrifice,” Penn said. “I haven’t seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I’ve been in Haiti. I think he’s an important voice. I hope he doesn’t sacrifice that voice by taking the eye off the very devastating realities on the ground.”
Penn mentioned past allegations that Jean mishandled funds from his nonprofit organization Yele Haiti and used some of the money donated for Haitians.
“He claims he didn’t do it. That has to be looked into it,” Penn said. “I’ve been there. I know what $400,000 could do for these people’s lives.”
In addition to paying himself and a friend over $400,000 in donated funds from his charity Yele Haiti, Wyclef, who is married, also paid a mistress $105,000 with funds from the charity.
According to The Smoking Gun, the IRS recently hit Wyclef with $2.5 million in liens.
