Sean Penn 'suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's bid for Haiti president

Aug 06, 2010
Sean Penn 'suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's bid for Haiti president

Wyclef Jean has filed papers to run for president of Haiti, and Sean Penn is skeptical.Interviewed on CNN last night as Wyclef officially announced his bid, Penn said, "This is somebody who's going to receive an enormous amount of support from the United States, and I have to say I'm very suspicious of it, simply because he, as an ambassador at large, has been virtually silent. For those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence," Penn said.

Penn, who has been active in Haiti since the earthquake, highlighted allegations that Wyclef mishandled $400,000 donated for the country through his Yele Haiti foundation. "He claims he didn't do it. That has to be looked into it," said Penn, who has been running a 55,000-person tent camp through the J/P Haitian Relief Organization he co-founded. "I've been there. I know what $400,000 could do for these people's lives."He added, "I'm not accusing Wyclef Jean of being an opportunist; I don't know the man," Penn told Wolf Blitzer, who was filling in for Larry King. "One of the reasons I don't know very much about Wyclef Jean is that I haven't seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I've been in Haiti." He added, "I think he has an important voice. "I hope he doesn't sacrifice that voice by taking the eye off the very devastating realities on the ground, and the very difficult strategic future that it's got in putting it back together."

I read about this earlier. Uhhhhh, I guess.........rock it out Clef.

Wyclef seems very passionate about his people, so hey....whatever. If he's got that much enthusiasm, then let him run and see if his people feel the same about him.

I did not know even that Penn was over there. I guess I am really out of the loop.

The way Penn teeter totters from being the coolest actor in the world to the biggest douche on the planet is fascinating. However, I agree with him about Wyclef. He (and Bono) reminds me of a modern day Bob Geldof, musician "activists" who personally decide to crown themselves spokesmen for the people. Clef is completely unqualified, has no political experience at all and I suspect - if elected - would become a dictator.