Mississippi mayor claims bribery charges are ‘political prosecution’

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jackson's Democratic mayor, says he never accepted a bribe' after reported indictment

The mayor of Mississippi's capital city said on Wednesday that he had been indicted in an alleged bribery operation, and he said it was a political prosecution" to hurt his 2025 campaign for re-election.

My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges," Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the Jackson mayor, said in a video statement on Wednesday, WJTV and other news outlets reported. To be clear, I have never accepted a bribe of any type. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the city of Jackson."