The controversy over Tyler Perry’s gift card has been resolved; TSA employees did not, in fact, return $1,000 in donations
A recent report refutes claims that airport employees were required to return the money.
In contrast to previous reports, Tyler Perry’s TSA gift cards are not being reimbursed.
According to journalist Loren Lorosa, TSA officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were exempt from having to return the $1,000 gift cards that Perry had given out during the government shutdown. According to those earlier reports, employees were told to return the money because of federal ethics regulations.
But according to a Tyler Perry spokesman, the information is untrue. For background, last Friday Perry gave TSA employees gift cards totaling $250,000. Each employee received $1,000 even though they continued to work unpaid during the closure.
Perry’s crew claims that they planned the effort ahead of time.
Tyler Perry’s representative informs Lorosa:
“As you most likely noticed, on Friday, our client Tyler Perry gave $250,000 worth of gift cards to TSA employees in Atlanta. To ensure that the situation was handled correctly and according to the book, our team collaborated closely with a TSA supervisor who was present. There is already a rumor circulating that these gift cards were returned; however, that is untrue. Neither Tyler nor anybody else has informed us that they would be returned.
According to Perry’s team, no money has been returned and no request to return the gift cards has been made, despite the widespread stories about them.
