Edwards' office said a member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, was among those who supported Cole's nomination. Cole is also among those who requested a Justice Department pattern-and-practice investigation of the State Police after the death of Ronald Greene. 

"Gov. Edwards was made aware of the EEOC's settlement with Don's last month and was assured by Sen. Boudreaux that he still supports the nomination," said a statement from spokeswoman Shauna Sanford in the governor's office.

Under the agreement reached in early 2022, Don's had to pay the worker $17,500 in back pay, plus pay him another $50,000 in damages.

A notice now posted at Don's under the EEOC's direction includes a statement that the company "has not admitted and does not admit that it engaged in any unlawful practices." The judge who agreed to the settlement declared that "this decree constitutes a judgment against Don's Specialty Meats Inc."

Cole added that Edwards was well aware of his past issues at his business, and that he even had a conversation with him.

"I did talk to him once about him, about letting him know that I had nothing to do with the EEOC," Cole said. "It happened in my business and has nothing to do with my character."

A lawyer who monitors State Police actions questioned Cole's appointment.

"This is either completely tone deaf or completely intentional," attorney Ron Haley said. "Either way, it's unacceptable for the community."

Haley has been on the front lines against injustice at Louisiana State Police. For years, he represented the family of Ronald Greene. Greene, a Black man, died in 2019 while in State Police custody. Initially, his family was told that Greene died in a crash. However, following a series of WBRZ Investigative Unit reports, it was revealed that evidence was hidden, phones were erased, and lies were told.

Louisiana State Police is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice to determine if the agency engaged in a pattern of disproportionately targeting minorities. That investigation is a top-to-bottom pattern-and-practice investigation into the agency.

For watchdogs and lawyers like Haley, this entire situation doesn't make sense.

"If you have someone who was successfully sued by the EEOC, for discriminating against Black people and you have State Police under a pattern-and-practice investigation for discriminating against Black people, it doesn't add up," Haley said.

Don's is among several butcher shops specializing in the production and sale of Cajun-style meats in areas around Lafayette. Its location in Scott is along heavily-traveled I-10, near other similar businesses that have made Scott the Boudin Capital of the World. Don's also has a store in Carencro along I-49.

BATON ROUGE - Corruption watchdogs think there are bad optics and ethical questions after the Council on Aging Board voted to allow Tasha Clark Amar to be the only one who signs checks at the agency.

On Friday, employees at the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging started ringing alarm bells about this. Two signatures on expenditures are no longer required, and employees said Clark Amar needs more oversight, not less.

"However you frame it, this is reduced oversight," LSU Law Professor Ken Levy said. "Reduced oversight is not the direction anybody should be moving in. We see this from the federal, to the state to the local level. There's a lot of corruption out there among our public officials and the direction we should be moving in at all levels is increased oversight."

Clark Amar was exposed by the WBRZ Investigative Unit in 2017 after she named herself in an elderly client's will. A series of stories led to tremendous fallout. When the dust settled, Clark Amar backed away from the will.

Recently, an employee came to the WBRZ Investigative Unit expressing concerns about what happened. One employee spoke with us on condition of anonymity and said the situation smells awful.

"I do not believe based upon what happened in the past with a senior and Ms. Amar possibly manipulating her out of her personal money, being able to only sign checks," the employee said. "Being the only signature required for the Council on Aging."

The change was made during an April board meeting. During that meeting it was discussed that the bank no longer requires two signatures, so the COA was planning to remove that requirement too.

"I do not think it is wise at all considering what happened in the past," the employee said. "Ms. Amar is just very insistent upon being the only one to sign checks for the Council on Aging."

"It's not good optics," Levy said. "It's not good ethics. It's just not right."

An attorney for the COA, Murphy Foster, issued the following statement:

There is no proof that she controls the board, and they do what's right for the Council on Aging. Regarding her check signing authority... the board granted her that authority to sign checks of routine nature on her own. Extraordinary expenses still require two signatures.

WBRZ asked what defines an extraordinary expenditure, but the COA did not give us an answer.

Clark Amar was exposed by the WBRZ Investigative Unit in 2017 after she named herself in an elderly client's will. A series of stories led to tremendous fallout. When the dust settled, Clark Amar backed away from the will.

Years have passed since. Recently, an employee came to the WBRZ Investigative Unit expressing concerns about what happened. One employee speaking to us on condition of anonymity said the situation smells awful.

"I do not believe based upon what happend in the past with a senior and Ms. Amar possibly manipulating her out of her personal money, being able to only sign checks," the employee said. "Being the only signature required for the Council on Aging."

The change was made during an April board meeting. During that meeting it was discussed that the bank no longer requires two signatures, so the COA was planning to remove that requirement too.

"I do not think it is wise at all considering what happened in the past," the employee said. "Ms. Amar is just very insistent upon being the only one to sign checks for the Council on Aging."

This week, that employee said more questionable decisions were made when the board ousted long time board member C. Denise Marcelle as the agency's chairwoman. Marcelle still sits on the COA board, but is no longer the leader. Two other board members who were out because of term limits are back on.

"It grants her job security to control who is on the board and who is the officers of the board," the employee said.

Employees said they know why other citizens aren't being given a shot.

"I think she should be held accountable....accountable for trying to manipulate and control the only level of accountability that she has and that is the board of directors at the Council on Aging," the employee said.

WBRZ reached out to Clark Amar for an interview on this story. She did not return our calls, but her lawyer did.

Murphy Foster issued the following statement:

There is no proof that she controls the board, and they do what's right for the Council on Aging. Regarding her check signing authority... the board granted her that authority to sign checks of routine nature on her own. Extraordinary expenses still require two signatures.

WBRZ asked what defines an extraordinary expenditure, but the COA did not give us an answer.