Palmetto Scoop: Governor’s Port Scandal Deepens
REPORT UNCOVERS DONATIONS TO SANFORD FROM DEVELOPER HE SUPPORTED IN PORT DEAL
FITSNews – February 23, 2008 – S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford was the recipient of several thousand dollars in campaign contributions from the same developer he tried to hook up with a multimillion dollar state land sale, according to campaign finance documents unearthed tonight by The Palmetto Scoop.
According to the online disclosure reports included in the Scoop’s story, developer Jim Chaffin and his wife contributed $4,000 to Sanford’s re-election campaign, contributions which preceded the governor’s aggressive lobbying on behalf of Chaffin’s firm in the recent sale of a state-owned port facility in Beaufort County. From the Scoop article:
Those donations cast serious doubts on Sanford’s claims that his involvement with Chaffin was simply an attempt to better understand the port deal and that he did not act in an unethical manner. At the very least, he had a clear conflict of interest. At the very worst, he took a bribe.
We have no doubt this story will generate a seismic reaction from Sanford’s legislative antagonists, many of whom were already looking for an excuse to hold hearings on the scandal, sources tell FITSNews. Look’s like they’ve got one now …
Comments
By Jeffrey Sewell on February 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 pm
$4k is going to influence this Governor? Yeah! Ok…Adam get it together…
By Natasha on February 24th, 2008 at 8:46 am
$4,000 is nothing…Are you kidding me? Come on guys…
By fitsnews on February 24th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Jeffrey and Natasha,
We’ve seen Sanford pull strings over far less money than this in the past …
-FITSNews
By Kyle on February 24th, 2008 at 9:21 am
It is only $4000 that you know about.
The undisclosed money in the nonprofits is where the real money is…and that is where the story is to be found.
By Mott the Hoople on February 25th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Uh, Kyle? The donors to the nonprofits supported by Sanford have already been voluntarily disclosed.
By deep throat on February 25th, 2008 at 8:32 am
“campaign finance documents unearthed tonight…”
“unearthed.” hahahahahahahahahaha.
“Pssst, gov, i’m gonna put $4K in unmarked bills in a paper bag and leave it under the yellow ATV at Coosaw. Now you’ve GOTTA fix that $26 million contract for me.”
By into the briar patch on February 25th, 2008 at 10:16 am
THIS is what they’ve “got” on the governor. I’ll bet the governor is just praying, PRAYING, that his silly-ass shit prompts a Senate inquiry. It would provide him with an excellent opportunity to not only set the record straight and shut the chattering Senators up, but also with a chance to challenge the good Senators to conduct similar inquires into whether the Finance Chairman, as alleged, really did bully other Senators into changing their votes on a supreme court nominee (a cleaer violation of the law), and also to ask that investigations be held into the propriety of 13 lawyer-legislators bring a multi-million dollar class action against a payday industry that they regulate and which would be tried before a judge they elect, and maybe even into how in the world it could be appropriate for other lawyer-legislators to rake in $8 million in workers comp attorneys fees (over a three year span) appearing before wc commissioners that the Senate elects and manipulating and distorting laws that they pass. Yep, throw Sanford into the briar patch.
By Mincing Words on February 25th, 2008 at 10:58 am
i have to agree with everyone here, FITS. It’s not the 4k that influenced Sanford, it was the relationship with the Chaffins in the first place that might have influenced Sanford. Sanford may well be subject to influence, but surely he’s no Tee Ferguson.
By Adam Fogle on February 25th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Sewell,
I think the establishment S.C. political consulting machine is the problem!
http://schotline.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/establishment-sc-political-consulting-machine-is-the-problem/
Except yours, of course. As for the rest of the establishment S.C. political consulting machine, it is THE problem!
http://schotline.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/establishment-sc-political-consulting-machine-is-the-problem/
Ok…Jeff get your head out of your ascot…
And lest I forget, the establishment S.C. political consulting machine is the problem!
http://schotline.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/establishment-sc-political-consulting-machine-is-the-problem/
- A.F.
By Kyle on February 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Mott the Hopeless
Wrong, err, dead wrong.
The Sanford non-profits are still undisclosed…save the one where Sanford tried to dump $100,000 of taxpayer money into his pocket.
There was partial disclosure…but important aspect such as the credit card bills were reported in the aggregate, not the particular. And the last disclosuer was August…6 months ago.
Trying to say that Sanford’s nonprofits have disclosed their finances is like saying the Hugh Leatherman is 7 feet tall. It is simply ridiculous.
By Mott vs. Kyle on February 25th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
This one goes to Mott. The State reported on December 19, 2007, that Carolinians for Reform (the c-3 nonprofit that Sanford supports) voluntarily disclosed all of its donors. It also disclosed bank records showing that no money had been spent (except for a Secretary of State filing fee), not even on credit card bills (aggregate or otherwise). And Chad Walldorf, organizer of Reform SC (the c-4 nonprofit that Sanford supports), has voluntarily registered that company’s reports with the State Ethics Commission. Kyle, I’m curious: just what, exactly, do you think money was spent on that has you in such a lather?
By Kyle on February 25th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Nope, wrong again.
You must work for Governor Sanford as you can only seem to half the truth.
You effort is to confuse…so there is no point to continuing this thread.
See ya
PS…I believe in full disclosuer by all people in public life. Your boss is ONLY ONE of the many that needs to disclose.