By fitsnews – March 23, 2012
A lovestruck state lawmaker who resigned his seat in the S.C. House of Representatives earlier this week in the wake of a pending indictment on harassment charges has hired a prominent attorney to defend him.
Sources close to former S.C. Rep. Thad Viers tell FITS that he has retained Todd Kincannon – a politically-connected GOP attorney from Columbia, S.C.
“The gloves are off and it’s time for all-out thermonuclear war,” one source told us after being informed of Viers’ decision to retain Kincannon.
Once a favorite to win South Carolina’s newly-drawn seventh congressional district (located in the northeast corner of the state), Viers campaign flamed out after he was arrested on January 6 for allegedly harassing his ex-girlfriend Candace Bessinger. After the arrest Viers – whose candidacy had been endorsed by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley – immediately dropped out of the race.
Since then, his relationship with Bessinger has become one of the year’s biggest political dramas.
(Haven’t been following this soap opera? Click here, here, here, here, here and here to bring yourself up to speed. Oh … and click here too, but only if you’re nasty).
This website has been no friend to Viers … but based on everything we’ve seen, we’re not sure that his conduct in this matter rises to the level of the criminal charges that have been filed against him. And not surprisingly, we’re told that political considerations played a major role in the decision to file the charges in the first place.
Having said that, we’ll withhold judgment until we see all of the evidence that’s presented at Viers’ trial – which is shaping up to be one helluva courtroom drama.
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