Just when you thought the ongoing saga surrounding disgraced S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford couldn’t possibly get any more bizarre, along comes an anonymous allegation that the governor gave a former staffer her “high-paying job” in exchange “for sexual favors.”
So, who is the former staffer alleged to have benefited from this money-for-sex relationship? Current S.C. Rep. Rita Allison, who is 69 years old – or old enough to be the governor’s mother.
Why are we even writing about this silliness?
Well, Sanford did say he “crossed lines” with other women, didn’t he? Maybe he had a MILF fetish …
Kidding, kidding. We’re writing about this nonsense because it turns out the anonymous allegation was mailed (as in, with stamps) to a number of Rep. Allison’s constituents in Spartanburg County, S.C., prompting Allison to hold a press conference today with SCGOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd filing a lawsuit against the as-yet-unknown senders.
“A lot of people told me I should just ignore this and let it go away, but I thought if it were possible for me to make a difference that I should take a stand,” Allison said of her decision to file the lawsuit. “This has been an incredibly hurtful situation for me and my family, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my years in public service. If we can find out who did this and prevent others from going through the same thing, it will salvage some good from this situation.”
Floyd also announced the formation of a SCGOP Legal Defense Fund, which she said was “being created to help other elected officials who are victim of defamatory attacks.”
“Bare-knuckled politics is a South Carolina tradition, but when someone crosses the line from hardball to falsely attacking someone’s reputation, it cannot be allowed to stand,” Floyd said. “It does not matter whether the person is a Republican or a Democrat, or a man or a woman. We are here today to say ‘no more’ and to put anyone engaging in these kinds of tactics on notice that it will not be tolerated.”
Clearly the SCGOP has plenty of money laying around, right?
Anyway, Rep. Allison may not have much of a case. Her anonymous attacker – albeit uncouth and completely unconcerned with mental images that we definitely did NOT want floating around in our heads – pulled a “Jeopardy” and phrased the accusation in the form of a question, specifically one that “must be answered by a legislative investigation.”
Is that defamation? Particularly against a public official?
Short answer? Maybe.
“(The mailing) comes awfully close to defamation,” said Jay Bender, a First Amendment scholar and media law professor at the University of South Carolina.
Bender says that Allison’s case – which must prove an elevated legal standard of “actual malice” – would likely hinge on who sent the letter.
“She has to prove first that the person who wrote that either knew it was false or had a reckless disregard for its potential falsity,” Bender says. “The question of actual malice is the state of mind of the publisher at the time the information was published.”
Obviously, we won’t know the answers to those questions until we know who was behind the mailing.
“If a political opponent just made that up, she might be able to win a judgment,” Bender says.
WEB EXTRA
Rita Allison Complaint (attack mailing against her is Exhibit A)
By Pamela September 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Hey Fits someone commented on The State that it was probably you behind this. LOL Also The State showed a better picture of Lovely Rita.
By shiya September 17, 2009 at 1:17 pm
ew…I just threw up. But she is 50 pounds heavier than Maria, has two separate eyebrows and definitely is a woman, so I am disinclined to believe the rumor. and we know Sanford has a “type”..
By fitsnews September 17, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Sic Willie wrote it? Since when did he become borderline illiterate?
-FITS
By Jonny D September 17, 2009 at 1:20 pm
What’s up with the anonymous mailings Fits, the McDonald’s App. wasn’t enough? Don’t forget, even Lee Atwater repented at the end.
By Matt September 17, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I hope the blogosphere does their own investigation as to who may have sent this letter and what their motivations are.
Even though Rita was a former staffer for the Sanford administration she is generally lumped in and sides with what some might describe as the “establishment wing” of our county delegation and not the “reform/Sanford wing” (Millwood, Bright, Martin). Of course her first stint in the House was long before Sanford so she has been in Columbia for a while.
The other thing the letter brings up besides the sexual favors thing is “double dipping” where a state legislator also is employed by a state agency (as Rita is). I knew of several folks who brought up this practice in the context of Spartanburg Rep. Mike Forrestor (also a state employee) during his 2008 primary campaign–people supporting his primary opponent who was a reform/Sanford candidate. The double dipping thing has at least been expressed as a concern in the past by those who are against the “establishment” wing in the Legislature.
By Vicomte de Valmont September 17, 2009 at 1:41 pm
We speed read if you can call it that and immediately felt the need to go uhh… You see it was quite frankly beyond our control! Is someone dropping hits of Disney and drunk? Not that there is anything wrong with that unless you are the SCGOP Chairman and the Speaker of the S.C. House!
By shiya September 17, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I hope reporters ask him about these rumors. wonder how he will react.
will they call her to testify during impeachment?
By Huhhh??? September 17, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Don’t know about double dipping, but seems to be pretty blatant dual office holding which there are definately laws about.
By Stupid Stupid Stupid September 17, 2009 at 2:28 pm
ewwwwww
By RA 1 September 17, 2009 at 2:47 pm
That’s just fucking gross.
By 1 + 1 = 3 September 17, 2009 at 3:06 pm
good lord, mark is the one who should sue for defamation…
By 1 + 1 = 3 September 17, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Floyd said the party has also set up a legal trust fund that will take specially designated donations from private donors and fight untrue allegations across the state
Could this be how they get to Mark’s money?
By SC Moderate September 17, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Obviously this letter is completely un-called-for, but I think Rita would have a very tough time in court.
And I hope the letter completely false… but that’s the problem when it comes to a law suit, since there are no statements: only questions. How do you prove a question to be false? Or even that the sender knew the answers to be false. Technical, maybe. Malice, possibly. But I think it would be near impossible to put all of the elements together to win a defamation suit.
By shiya September 17, 2009 at 4:23 pm
C’mon…doesnt seem like more than a stupid high school prank. And Rita fell for it and made sure everyone knew about it.
By old bike dude September 17, 2009 at 6:11 pm
That mug could knock the boner off a blind mutt.
By Soft Sigh From Hell September 17, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Is it just me, or does the expression “my years in public SERVICE” grate on others when heard from a long-time politician? (I mean in general, not picking on this lady specifically.)
Also, will Ms. Floyd’s defense fund defend defamed Democrats? (Say that three times quickly.) Her words sound altruistic, but it is hard to imagine.
By Interloper September 17, 2009 at 9:28 pm
So, the Luv Guv has a thing for mature cougars. Can’t wait to see the video of “Mark and Rita Reduce the Sex Deficit.”
By Rylyn September 17, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Anyone who really knows Rita Allison knows this is absolutely the most ridiculous thing in the world. Anyone that ever worked for or been a supporter of or friends with Mark Sanford does not make them a target for such obsurd attacks When is enough enough??
By alaindelon September 17, 2009 at 9:51 pm
All this started when Sinfraud opened his trap about his “crossing the
lines” with other women…Rita Allson is protesting too much.A far
better strategy would have not dignified this rumor.
By Earl Capps September 17, 2009 at 11:05 pm
I could imagine a group of Democrats sitting around a bar table thinking “let’s mail out a few dozen crank letters and see how much money the Republicans can piss away in response”. If so, their experiment worked amazingly.
Come on, who REALLY believes this shit? Who is so petty as to really take it seriously?!? Mark Sanford and Rita Allison?!? The only thing more outrageous would be Rita and Sic Willie.
Some people really can’t take a joke. But the biggest joke of all is someone who would let a crank goad them into responding.
By will's ex September 17, 2009 at 11:23 pm
No Earl the only thing more outrageous would be Shirley Hinson and Sic Willie.
OH! Wait …
By will's ex September 18, 2009 at 8:06 am
No Earl the only thing more outrageous would be Shirley Hinson and Sic Willie.
OH! Wait …
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!