S.C. STATE HOUSE INVESTIGATION GETS ADDITIONAL LEGACY MEDIA INK …
By FITSNEWS || So there’s another mainstream media outlet covering the joint federal-state investigation into corruption at the S.C. State House.
Days after reporter Andrew Shain of The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper published his, um, “exclusive” on this investigation, reporter Jeremy Borden of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier has followed suit.
You can read Borden’s story HERE if you’d like, but it’s basically the same stuff this website has been writing for the last three-and-a-half weeks.
“Federal and state authorities are investigating allegations that South Carolina lawmakers sold their votes, funneled money from the state budget into their own pockets and misused money from a political action committee,” Borden reported. “Investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division and federal agencies have launched a broad probe into the actions of several members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, focused at least in part on some members of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee.”
Right … a.k.a. “what we said.”
FITS has owned “the probe,” breaking the story of its existence way back on September 15. Since then we’ve published multiple follow-up reports (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and most recently HERE).
(Takes bow).
Ready for our boilerplate?
Working alongside S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and other state entities, federal investigators acting under the authority of U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles have been looking into allegations of corruption at the S.C. State House for the past nine months (at least). This investigation – which is expected to result in indictments prior to the end of the year – centers on three main areas. Those are, 1) misuse of campaign funds by members, 2) abusing public offices for personal gain and 3) vote-trading (or vote-selling) tied to the controversial February 2014 legislative election that saw Jean Toal win another term as chief justice of the state’s supreme court.
Other judicial elections (scandals also broken exclusively here on FITS) are said to be part of “the probe …”
35 comments
The voters need term limits and recall legislation.
You are invited to stop by the American Party booth, Hampton building, South Carolina State Fair and sign the petition to give recall authority to the voters.
Our elected officials have proven they are unwilling to Police themselves and pass meaningful Ethics REFORM!
Will Folks is a god of the media. He walks amongst them rest but he is not one of them. He rises above them as if propelled by some viagra filled rocket and laughs at their travails and toil, knowing he is the pucker to their asshole and the the peck to there pecker. Yes, Will Folks is the man, and we are better for it.
hahaha
The Order of the Palmetto?
+1 just for the “viagra filled rocket” part alone.
The American Party has losers like Scott Malyrick at its founding. The Republican party fired him and he has lost most every political race he has ever managed.
Why would anyone join with losers like that?
Ok haley, you double typed and added an r to your pen name.
Hope you are long gone by Nov. 5th.
Scott is very competent and all consultants loose. On this issue he is absolutely right on target!
The name is harley, not Haley. Jim Rex is warmed over yellow dog and Scott is an idiot, despite your claims.
The American Party sounds great to you see that most of their leaders are big government types, or at least the type that make money off the government.
Boring, yep, boring, warmed over pabulum.
Wouldn’t be surprised if “Harley” is Curtis Loftis.
If the Country and State remain on the same course, we will all be criers, sobbing uncontrollably!
There platform is pabulum. I flirted with the party awhile back, but the nonsense
put me off.
Here is the problem, “there platform” (improper) Their platform would be correct, must have been written by a self serving elected official! And, the pen name “CASH”, clearly written by an elected official as a signal to special interest, “cash”, not check. Cash is easier to hide.
We the people need the American Party, it’s platform and principles!
it is “its.” If you are going to be a nitpicker, you ought to be able to write properly.
Spoken by a true partisan, blinded by the spin and bullshit of the party (both Dumocrats and Repugnacants).
The brain dead straight party voters, both Ds and Rs. This is why we have the corruption, self serving reprobates in office, Washington/State houses/ Town Halls/Sheriffs/etc.
If you do what you have always done, expecting different results. It is the definition of insanity!
Scott is busy consulting to democrat campaigns and taking behind the scenes money to PASS the gas tax, so I doubt he has much time for the American Party. I would not let him put you off the party. Rex is a thoughtful guy so it might work out.
I’m OK with Will patting himself on the back for initially reporting “the probe”, but so far it has only been innuendo and unsupported accusations. I hope he is right, though. I would really enjoy watching some of these assholes in our General Assembly get their comeuppance.
This reminds me of all the “innuendo and unsupported accusations” in Myrtle Beach and Horry County about alleged corrupt politicians, the MBACC and illegal campaign contributions a few years ago. “The probe” produced ZERO except The Suns News in Myrtle Beach and the reporter apparently making alleged accusations of criminal wrongdoing getting sued for defamation and being on the the losing end of a judgement for $600,000.
I have no idea what the facts are here . Just sounds familiar however our public servants should be held accountable if they are indeed corrupt.
Mark Kelley has collected not one penny. And he won’t. Weakest, most misguided jury verdict EVER. If it were the slam-dunk you claim it to be, Wren, TSN and McClatchy would just pony up and hope everyone would forget it. If there were the slightest HINT that Wren made it all up, they would fire him. Period. Instead, they are appealing the verdict. AS THEY SHOULD! The probe itself existed, as confirmed by a great man interviewees, some of them quite “high profile.” Nothing was alleged about Kelley, it was simply stated that he was seated between two men, and that at some point in the evening and envelope full of checks passed between them. Wren even let Kelley off the hook by stating that he had broken no law. BUT one of Kelley’s own star witnesses testified that he HAD broken the law in another aspect of the case. Shakey as fuck, that’s what the Kelley case is, IN MY OPINION.
Nothing was alleged about Kelley that tarnished his rep, it was simply stated that he was seated between two men, and that at some point in the evening an envelope full of checks (of questionable origin) passed between those two men. Wren even let Kelley off the hook by stating that he had broken NO law. BUT one of Kelley’s own star witnesses testified that he HAD broken the law in another aspect of the case. Shaky as fuck, that’s what the Kelley case is, IN MY OPINION.
Good thing the focus of the state and federal investagation is about the process of how judges were appointed. The days of unlawful intimidation and prosecution by corrupt politicians are over.
A little something, something for everyone in that tunes box. Nice link.
The Post and Spineless basically is covering it’s ass. They don’t actually do their own story. They just refer to the one written and published by the State News. But of pussies on the take by Harrell and his cronies. It just further raises the level of suspicion as to who is corrupt – like the Beach Company in Charleston. Tax payer money so they can rake in the big bucks. Its not about jobs and better communities with them. Its about profit and greed. And we all know, many will go to the extremes – even break the law – to have a chance at the tax payers cookie jar.
Harrell’s schemes are about to take more of a center stage, I bet – with more of the hidden players being announced from down his way. Gee Wally, how could they be so stupid?
*
Its not a great day in South Carolina …. Its a Fantastic One! We must plan for a block party when the federal indictments come down. Lots of live bands, beer wagons, bbq, and pole dancers. Too bad Chip Slimehouse, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, wont be able to join us.
Just call Pinson and Maya Hood. They will find a way to throw the party and make a dolla at the same time.. seeing how Pinson is STILL NOT IN JAIL AND NOBODY SEEMS TO NOTICE.
Good reporters leave the P&C under management’s political pressure, and P&C ends up reprinting fitsnews.
Remember Renee Dudley, now at Bloomberg News?
Free Times credited you.
… and a well deserved double thumbs up for breaking this story. You should be proud, now get back to work.
What? You mean you are going to be a ‘meanie’ and not give Sic a sucker? Damn you!
LMAO!!!! Sic is Buz Jr.What a joke.
To go along with Toal’s plausible deniability is laughable. This probe and subsequent investigation must end with the indictment of Chief Justice Jean H. Toal. She is the only person who benefited. I predict a Government Informant (GI) to put the finger on CJ Toal. There must be records of her office meetings and visits. There must be electronic transmission communications that reveal times and places of conversations to substantiate the informant’s cooperation. BTW, GI’s are also given reduced sentences and often are incarcerated at Federal Medical Camps…easy time without any worry. This indictment of Toal for being the ringleader could very well shake up South Carolina for all the right reasons.
Well said. Now, be sure that Justice Beatty is kicked upstairs some where. He is a complete and absolute Toal puppet.
It would not surprise me if several members of the Grand Strand delegation is caught in this.. Certain financial situation of one particular state rep. In the grand strand area should be scrutinized..
At $486b, federal deficit is lowest in Obama’s tenure. Imagine that.
But, the national Debt is the greatest in history!
Try again phew max!
couldn’t you imagine it?
State House? I thought the Probe was Will and Nikki?