FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, HALEY ADMINISTRATION MANIPULATION ALLEGED
Three years ago this website began investigating the S.C. Department of Social Services (SCDSS) – the agency that manages broad swaths of the Palmetto State’s welfare economy.
Using our network of anonymous sources it didn’t take long to discover that SCDSS – led by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley appointee Lillian Koller – was a royal mess. For example, the agency has botched the oft-delayed implementation of a child support enforcement database – and dropped the ball regarding a food stamp waiver touted by Haley in her so-called “war on fat.”
Those are two costly mistakes …
More critically, we uncovered questionable consultant payments at SCDSS – as well as allegations of cooked books at its “welfare to work” program (as well as its food stamp system).
The welfare-to-work allegations are especially sensitive to Haley, who has made this program a centerpiece of her reelection efforts.
As if all of that weren’t enough, then there’s the real tragedy … the blood on this agency’s hands after it placed children into abusive homes despite repeated warnings not to do so.
That’s what has landed this agency – and Koller – in the hot seat.
Any governor with a brain would have fired Koller a long time ago – especially seeing as she has repeatedly refused to testify at legislative hearings into these allegations.
Yet Haley continues to defend her …
This week, a shocking report from Porter Barron, Jr. at The (Columbia, S.C.) Free Times shows Haley has done more than that … her administration has actively interfered in legislative investigations.
“(S)taffers for Gov. Nikki Haley asked Republican senators to soft-pedal their investigation of the Department of Social Services so as not to make the governor look bad,” Barron notes.
According to Barron, Haley chief of staff Ted Pitts and legislative liaison Katherine Veldran “admonished Republican senators against making the governor look bad with their probe into the agency.”
“The Haley staffers met with Republican senators on a subcommittee investigating Child Protective Services in the wake of their first hearing in October,” Barron reports. “Pitts and Veldran allegedly told Senators Katrina Shealy and Tom Young to avoid embarrassing Haley or hurting her chances of re-election in the course of their hearings.”
FITS has independently confirmed the accuracy of these statements.
It’s one thing to colossally screw up an agency so that millions of dollars are being wasted (and children are dying). It’s something else to interfere in an investigation into those abuses because of a desire not to “make the governor look bad.”
That’s positively Nixonian.
We’ve already called on Koller to be fired for her incompetence and corruption – but Pitts and Veldran’s efforts to cover up her scandals are every bit as reprehensible.
And to think this is from the so-called “most transparent administration” in state history …
51 comments
Koller must have strapped one on and given it to Haley better than Folks, Cuckold, Marchant and any other contributing to the culture plate experiment.
Ted’s mom would be so ashamed of him…God rest her soul.
If you have an escalation that lasts for more than four hours, see your doctor….
Will you WRITE book about THIS major scandal, too….???
Let’s hope the hard-drive don’t crash…LMAO…Hahahahaha…
You have a serious corruption problem. .I worked for DSS under Jim Hodges and I take my hat off to him state employees were treated like somebody. . UPPER MANAGEMENT AND LOWER MANAGEMENT TREATED YOU WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. Rude treatment started under Sandford but Gov Haley appointee took the rage off the bush. IF YOU BELIEVE DSS GOT 20000 CLIENTS JOB THEN YOU ARE JUST A BLIND AS RAY CHARLES. NEVER HAPPEN
I wish they had bullied your lazy @$$ so much, you got out of gov’t work and got a REAL job…Then maybe you’d understand what CONTRIBUTING South Carolinians have to do to pay for you to make life harder on us…
28 years is a long time to feed at the trough…I bet you got a big ol’ fat belly at my expense…and I’ll likely be paying your healthcare and pension for another 30 years…
I pay for my own health care…jackass. I received a monthly RETIREMENT CHECK AND I ALSO WORK PARTTIME. I MEANT BE PAY ING YOUR HEALTHCARE…YOUR CHILD SUPPORT THAT’S BEHIND. YOU MAYBE LIVING OFF OF MY MONEY.. BY THE WAY I RETIRED FROM THE STATE..
Stop using your EBT CARD..
Again…you rode the gravy train for 3 decades, not you bitch and moan about the people who propped up your lazy, @$$.
Remember: Gov’t agencies produce NOTHING, but hardship on the people. You ARE the effeing problem. Now you’re breaking the economy w/ your pension check, for sitting on your @$$ some more.
Remember: Gov’t agencies produce NOTHING, but hardship on the people.
You’re right. Let’s start by shutting down the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Finally, we can start relieving the old, sickly, poor people of their “hardships.”
I’d rather we shut down DOT so GT couldn’t get out of his dirt road.
Hey, Ray Charles had soul, puts him leagues beyond T.
You are a loser!!!!!!! What an idiot you are. Get life. You make me Sick. Fing prick!
The headline sub-title refers to a Federal investigation but there is no reference in the article.
When only one party is in control, everyone covers for each other, there is no one to hold them accountable. Therefore this won’t have legs even if it is the truth, which considering the source is 50/50 at best.
Right after Sanford was elected calling himself a Conservative…FITS told Lee Bandy at The State, that’d he’d love to work for Jim Hodges, just as soon as Sanford…despite the fact Hodges was a major Failure, who set the state back 10 years.
Maybe one of these days Republicans will learn to use the power we give them to PURGE leftists from all gov’t departments…
If Haley gets taken down from the inside, it’s her fault for not cleaning house. If the Tea Party puts its people in this year, firing anyone who has been leftwing political, should occur immediately…or the futility will continue…
You just can’t admit Haley is a complete fool for hiring an incompetent boob.
I don’t really care. It’s a social welfare agency, and its main function is to handout checks to democrat voters.
I’m sure whoever is supposed to get paid, is getting paid..or the media would be doing more than just Witch-Hunting….This MoFo is sourcing Free Times, Columbia’s version of Pravda…
IOW: The Scandal is Being a Republican w/ the media. Because of that media bias, it has to be far more evident of something wrong than a bunch of Media @$$holes whining. Their reputation precedes them…
No, you don’t care and neither does Haley…just keep greasing those political wheels…
GT – It’s so much easier to hear you when you aren’t slinging insults.
GrandTango -is- an incompetent boob, he sees it as a leg up for his kind.
From WIS-
“There is nothing more important than the welfare of our children and under Director Koller’s watch child deaths have decreased 25 percent, adoptions have increased 11 percent, and we have successfully moved over 20,000 people from welfare to work. Governor Haley has and will continue to support her efforts to protect and better the lives of South Carolina families and children,” said Mayer.
Looks like Haley is going to double down on Koller, bad move in my opinion.
I don’t believe any of the numbers. Just to easy to make them up.
Jessica what’s her name is quoted in a great story in the P&C today saying that caseworkers have caseloads of 6.
That is a big, big, big lie. And, she must be on drugs to say something so absurd.
The numbers are like Scientology’s Sterling Management ‘stats’ – pure BS.
Yes I am a CW at DSS and it’s more like we get 6 cases a week! And we are not allowed to log over 37.5 hours a week- so we work many many many hours a week for free. All the state cares about is the numbers and not the children
“All the state cares about is the numbers and not the children”
Thank you for your honesty. You would do well in the private sector, maybe it’s time to act on your instincts.
Sam Griswold was the last decent director DSS has had. It has been all downhill since then. The latest crowd with Lillian and friends have skewed the results and statistics, bullied caseworkers to minimize cases and underfunded the ability of the agency to respond. This is a real clusterfuck whose outcome is not just the waste of taxpayer dollars…it is the death of SC children. Is there no outrage? Or are these children expendable? I don’t care what kind of spin you put on this, it is really criminal activity protected by pragmatic politics. We really should be ashamed. Child welfare ought to be a “no-brainer” regardless of political party.
Sam Griswold was a lazy, petty tyrant. He was often out of the office for unexplained reasons, he never missed an opportunity to attend a conference or meeting, and he worked harder to get himself awards than he did to help the neediest people in this state.
I don’t know bones about the lady there now, by Griswold was a government bitch from day one.
Wow, I never knew he was so bad. I just saw how he reduced the Food Stamp error rate, converted food stamps to a debit card, revamped the child welfare system, increased appropriations and other reforms. I didn’t know he was a lazy petty tyrant out of the office all the time. Can you tell me details about that? Maybe some facts? I always find facts useful to change my mind. What awards did he get?
Same as Virgil Conrad?
I remember the Griswold days as bureaucratic. He was very concerned about how he looked and what his next position would be as he climbed the ranks of government. He mainly spent more money, like every good democrat, but did not get a lot of real results. But Sam was always nice to me.
but did not get a lot of real results.
So you’re refuting M326’s mentioned results?
I honestly know very little about Griswold but I’m interested to know if he really accomplished those things.
I worked for Sam at HHS and all I can tell you is you wanted to keep your distance from Stinking Sam after lunch because his farts were deadly. He was the kind of guy that walked down the hallway and left a trail no one could miss.
Oh, dear, dear.. Bless your little heart. Just do not use the bathroom on the first floor of the Wade Hampton Building. Wash your hands, keep your distance and do not catch what Treasurer Loftis has been infected with long ago.
You need to be better informed! As you know better, you will do better. Let’s start with being better informed about Treasurer Loftis and read the many sworn testimonies which are public information and easy to get. Assaults, violent outbursts, fornication, lies,vile disease. Please be informed!
Yeah, he was ambitious. Shame on him. We don’t need any of that in government!
And Treasurer Loftis wants to keep his job! Best job he ever had. From the bug man in West Columbia to drinking at the teats of government. Tell me, what has he done for the people Of SC? He has used and abused his staff. He has accused smart, intelligent, dedicated people making a difference in this State of being immoral and corrupt. When the people know better, they will do better. He needs to go away and stop drinking at the teats of government, along with some of his staff who are double dipping.
Please, look at treasurer Loftis and his many escapades to Washington, New York, Boston and more. Why go there so often? Why go to these very liberal cities? Did Grady Patterson, Converse Chellis go there? He must be doing things that are difficult to do in Columbia. Be careful around him. A very disgusting man, living with a disgusting disease.
Is Sam any kin to Clark? That might explain all the trips and vacations.
I’ve heard most hotels won’t let him stay because of the Clark connection.
My dear, Clark travels with his family to Europe, to California. Mr.Loftis travels, according to sworn testimonies, with men believed to be his lovers… to Brazil, England and other places. Testimonies, please read them. Foul, vile . Wash your hands and keep the children away from him.
Robert Floyd, during his many stints as Interim Director, always brought calm and competence to DSS.
He certainly did bring calm. A nice guy.
Sam is crazy. Like a crack addict crazy. Needs better meds.
First time I ever heard that! Was he on crack?
Crazy? If you want to see crazy, look at Treasurer Loftis. Too many behavioral and mental problems going back many years. Could not be helped then and cannot be helped now. Assault charges, strong violent outbursts, hates women and government but drinks at the teats of government and wants to be treasurer! Please, do explain why the tea party does not run a simple background check on him! Be careful around him and wash your hands. He has a foul , vile, loathsome disease.
NIKKI HALEY ONLY CARES ABOUT NIKKI HALEY!
One year ago DSS deputy director Isabel Blanco resigned https://www.fitsnews.com/2013/03/14/scdss-no-2-resigning/
How many more failures will the people let Haley vomit on this state and its people. Hey I have a novel idea let her and Obama run on the same ticket because they are so much alike.
How many more failures will the people let Haley vomit on this state and its people.
State law won’t allow the people to give her more than another four years, but it’s plenty of time for her to work her
magicwitchcraft.Meanwhile, Sheheen sits on his ass and twiddles his thumbs, when he should be jumping up and down, screaming to anyone who would listen. He could really make some headway with the SCDSS problems.
why is a hippie paper filled with tattoo parlor and weed shop ads the only reliable source of professional journalism in columbia?
Mirror image of DHEC fiasco Templeton. Cooking the books, included….