S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley received free flights from campaign donors that she appointed to state boards and commissions – including one appointee whom she recently praised as being responsible for aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s speedy plant opening in North Charleston, S.C.
Haley’s claim that S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) chairman Allen Amsler helped “speed up permitting” for Boeing has since been debunked by DHEC and by S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt.
News of Haley’s flights was first reported on Friday by the Associated Press – which indicated that the governor’s flights will be “disclosed on her statement of economic interest as required by state ethics laws.”
Meanwhile, The (Columbia, S.C.) State has finally confirmed Haley’s attendance at a fundraiser in New Jersey ten days ago.
“The New Jersey event is the fourth time that Haley, who ran on a platform of government transparency, has left the state to fundraise without telling the public,” The State report noted.
Two weeks ago, Haley raised cash off a group of Indian donors in Michigan. The week before that she participated in a controversial Texas fundraiser involving her longtime confidant and former executive appointee Eleanor Kitzman. Many are speculating that Kitzman may have been shaking down businesses she regulates on Haley’s behalf at the behest of Texas Gov. Rick Perry -who is one of several 2012 presidential candidates currently courting Haley’s endorsement in the Palmetto state’s “First in the South” presidential primary.
Of course the real issue isn’t the fact that Haley is leaving the state to raise money – that’s her prerogative – it’s the fact that her “transparent” administration has been substantially less than forthcoming about these routine trips.
In fact, in at least one instance her office has flat out lied about them.
The revelation that Haley is receiving free flights from her political appointees isn’t the first time she’s gotten in trouble over her travel. Two weeks after her election, it was revealed that she received $20,000 worth of air travel courtesy of Raj Mantena – a campaign contributor who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“The governor will be open about how she travels,” her spokesman said at the time.
Has she lived up to that promise? You tell us …
Loading ...Former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford came under fire for his travel practices in the wake of a sex scandal that nearly brought down his administration. For example, it was revealed in 2009 that Sanford failed to report dozens of private flights, obtained improper upgrades to first class seats on several state trips and misused the state plane for personal and political reasons.
Sanford ended up paying $74,000 in fines associated with several of these violations – but avoided fines related to the private fights he received by agreeing to retroactively release who paid for them.
Haley has also run afoul of state travel guidelines in the past. In fact, she once infamously claimed that she couldn’t remember where she sat on a commercial plane during a 2007 taxpayer-funded trip to China – despite the fact that a pair of sources who were on the plane said that she flew first class. The S.C. Department of Commerce – which organized the China trip – later claimed that Haley flew business class.
More recently, Haley’s exorbitant expenses on a taxpayer-funded “economic development” trip to Paris have drawn criticism.
So … what’s the answer to these potentially corrupting entanglements?
It’s hard to say. Obviously forbidding campaign donors from serving as gubernatorial appointees doesn’t make sense – nor does requiring Haley to release specific information about what she’s doing every second of every day (although we’re sure that would be interesting reading).
One common sense reform that we’ve heard floated in recent weeks? Legislation requiring state officials to reimburse the taxpayers for any security costs associated with any personal or political trips.
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By William October 8, 2011 at 11:15 am
1. She will never be truthful. It is not her nature. It is impossible for her to be transparent.
2. The ethics laws are pathetic. Case in point: she takes a private jet that is filled with her staff. She claims only a seat on the flight, when the whole flight is booked for her pleasure…so the cost attributed to her is a small fraction of the true value.
3. The ethics laws could reasonably be interpreted more broadly, and they would be upheld by the courts.
4. She will only file what she has too. If she gets caught she can file an amended report, and call it a mistake. Filing is delayed by months (per the law), so it is difficult for people to track trips/filing.
5. She has 3 PACs (political action committees) that she controls. She raises money for them and we never know who or why the money is given to her. She has over one million dollars now, and is working hard to get more.
6. Her administration will prove to be the least transparent, most corrupt in SC history.
By yepitstrue October 8, 2011 at 11:43 am
i totally agree with you william. her administration, cabinet agency leaders will prove to be the most corrupt in sc history. she and her administration are sickening. i work at one of her cabinet agencies and it is worse than it has ever been. the inhouse corruption is unbelieveable. if ur not in her click ur pretty much fucked. she makes me sick along with her “YES PEOPLE” who continue to get salary increases while the real workers get nothing…and i mean nothing. its a fucked up day in sc!
By Hang On October 8, 2011 at 11:59 am
“i work at one of her cabinet agencies and it is worse than it has ever been. the inhouse corruption is unbelieveable.”
Hang on, we probably haven’t seen anything yet. In a few months she will totally control DHEC with all its permitting authority and all it pass-through grants.
By Sheila October 8, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I agree with Hang. The cabinet agencies are suffering badly bc of Haley changes at the top. The DOT, DEW, DHEC, DSS and others are as corrupt as ever.
By Jamie October 8, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Corruption is the name of the game in SC. For agency heads claiming to be so smart, we will see when mismanagement and waste charges are made public. It’s going to be a helluva ride for SC with Trikki Nikki and her agency head cronies at the helm.
By John October 8, 2011 at 2:55 pm
The DOT is in a cover-up to end all cover-ups. They have shredded documents. They have changed the way they calculate bills in order to make things look better. They have limited the people in the office that see important documents.They have borrowed money from all their other funds to prop up road work.
Haley’s office is in this all the way. If she gets caught she would be impeached. She has got to hide all of this. This is the big time.
By Mrs. Ethel Krabitz October 8, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Would it be appropriate for a “Republican” Gov. to endorse a primary candidate? I think not. Better to wait, see who the party’s candidate will be, and endorse them. But GOD KNOWS what this numskull will do. Hopefully, endorse Perry. It won’t help him!
By Ralph Hightower October 8, 2011 at 5:23 pm
William,
SC Guv’not Nukie Haley will always tell the truth because she is always right and we are always wrong.
Hopefully, she is a one-term governor; but I have my doubts. After all, we were dumb enough to elect SC Guv’not Mark Sanford to a second term.
By Jerry October 8, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Because of Haley’s mess at DOT, Myrtle Beach will probably not get I73. We need that road and many people will be hurt by her inability to govern.
This Haley debacle will cost us jobs, economic investments, and market share.
Shame on you Mrs Haley. You are no longer in high school. Your actions affect us, not just you.
Shame on you.
By Sick of Pandering October 8, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Haley is corrupt and was before she was elected. Did that stop the majority of voters for voting for her? Apparently not because she is in office. God helps us if SC is stupid enough to elect this loser again!
By Been there October 8, 2011 at 10:49 pm
The Senate should have approved Sandford’s appointments he made to state agencies that would have lasted several years but did not, out of spite or they just forgot. This left the new govenor the ability to appoint entirley new Boards as Sanford’s appointments had elapsed . I would blame part of this situation on the Senate. Boards affected DHEC etc.
By Sandy October 9, 2011 at 5:20 pm
She went from being a minor house member to the Governor. She lived in a house she could not afford, could not pay her taxes, and made 22 grand a year from her business. Now she lives like a queen, and she ain’t never going back. She will do anything to bank money in her PACs and other rat holes. If there is a way for her to profit, she will.
She will do ANYTHING to keep her status. Anything.
By Thom T October 9, 2011 at 9:04 pm
What about the head of LLR getting the Gov to apoint a lawyer from The LLR Diectors law firm that she is apart of in Charleston. Is this a state ethics violation?
By RedundantTiger October 10, 2011 at 2:33 am
Sandy, An old Marxist, Karl Wittfogel, made the observation that in the West, power follows wealth, while in the East. wealth follows power. Senator Jay Rockefeller would be an example of the former, while Nikki may have learned some old Punjabi tricks and made public service into personal enrichment and be an example of the latter.
By Is this SHIITE for real October 10, 2011 at 9:57 am
Is it true that her parents were Pakistani born?
By Gumption October 10, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I see that five people have voted that the Governor did not “lie” about her travel expenses, and presume those votes were from her father, mother, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
That horizontal bar chart is really telling.
By LLR Sucks October 10, 2011 at 6:41 pm
“What about the head of LLR getting the Gov to apoint a lawyer from The LLR Diectors law firm that she is apart of in Charleston. Is this a state ethics violation?”
Who was it and what is their name? What did they get appointed to?
By poisonedivey October 11, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Why have we not demanded an investigation into her activities, oh yeah, any one that would investigate was appointed by her…ooops, forgot. we have the right to at least ask for an investigation, with so many complaints and obvious disgruntlement with her office, why is she still sitting on this throne. RAISE HELL S.C., make your voices known,
By jas sahiwal October 15, 2011 at 5:19 am
We as many South Carolinians, do not give a chance to one to fulfill the promises. We have become so bitter that we reach to the extremes of our behaviors at times. Gov. Haley is working very hard to bring about a change and that old school of thought and grouchy old, fat state representatives have not learnt a lesson of lose tongue. Governor Haley is clear, strong, fearless and is a leader. She is keeping herself cool while she is becoming tougher under relentless racist comments from both the parties. I think Shaheen and his friends should keep a distance from Mr. knotts, it is only going to backfire.