“We have no reason to believe that the claims have any basis, but there are serious public allegations against the organization, so we moved to commission an independent report,” said Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, who is chairman of the 10-member board and a frequent collaborator with Barber.
Wilson-Hartgrove said he first heard about the allegations from a reporter for WRAL News on Friday, May 23. The board then met on Saturday to discuss the matter and vote to investigate it.
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Repairers of the Breach paid Barber more than $224,000 in salary in 2023, according to the most recent 990 form filed by private foundations in the U.S. That year, the organization had $8.2 million in net assets.
“We want to be completely open and if there’s any process that wasn’t exactly right, we’re certainly glad to acknowledge that,” Wilson-Hartgrove said. “As I’ve read the allegations, they seem to me to be extreme and outside of not only our organization’s policy, but what any organization would allow.”
In a motion filed Friday, Barber’s lawyer, Tamela Wallace, asked the court for a protective order against Rebecca Barber. It also asks that Rebecca Barber defray the costs incurred in connection with the allegations that he redirected funds from his nonprofit.
Repairers is planning another Moral Monday protest in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (June 2). Wilson-Hartgrove said it would include powerful testimonies by people who have been on Medicaid their entire lives.
This article originally appeared here. National reporter Jack Jenkins contributed to this report.
