William Timmons’ Secret Deal Kept His Dirty Laundry Hidden

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Nearly two years ago, our media outlet published a report on a curious property transaction involving embattled U.S. congressman William Timmons and his now ex-wife, Sarah Timmons.

The transaction was made four weeks before Timmons provided a now-infamous, unsolicited, 18-word statement to this media outlet asking for “prayers and privacy” in response to allegations of an extramarital affair with lifestyle and travel blogger Paula Dhier.

Both Timmons and Dhier were married at the time of their extramarital dalliance. In fact, Dhier was best friends with Timmons’ wife and was literally living in their house when the affair kicked off.

As for Dhier’s husband? He has become a household name in the Upstate in the aftermath of this saga.

Don’t know Ron Rallis? Better ask somebody …

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The irony of all this? As I’ve stated on multiple occasions, our media outlet never sought comment from Timmons on his affair – nor did we have any intention of covering it prior to him pushing out his statement.

Once the story was out, though, it cascaded … and kept cascading.

Timmons, 40, hails from a fifth-generation, über-wealthy, über-influential family in Greenville, S.C. His great-grandfather – William R. Timmons Sr. – built an empire in the Upstate beginning in the mid-1920s, focusing on the real estate, trucking and insurance industries. The family – which helped establish the city’s civic and philanthropic communities – is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Anyway, as we reported at the time, on June 10, 2022 the soon-to-be-scandal-scarred Republican transferred a 5.41 acre plot of land on Roe Ford Road in Greenville County (.pdf) to his then-wife in exchange for $1 and “in consideration of love and affection.” An option agreement (.pdf) on the property gave him “the exclusive and irrevocable option to purchase” it back from Sarah Timmons “at any time prior to midnight on June 10, 2028.”

In the event William Timmons were to exercise this option, the agreed upon price was fixed at $1,000 – an amount which was “otherwise pursuant to the terms of the confidential agreement executed by the parties on May 30, 2022.”

Wait … confidential agreement?

Regular readers of this media outlet know the ‘Days of our Congressman‘ scandal was just getting warmed up … exposing Timmons to all manner of public ridicule (and producing his first credible congressional challenger in the form of S.C. Freedom Caucus chairman Adam Morgan).

But the “confidential agreement” between him and his wife – a public document filed in family court – remained under wraps. To this day, in fact, no one but the principals (and their attorneys) know the contents of the secret agreement – which may or may not be part of the couple’s sealed divorce file.

What do we know? That Sarah Timmons remained silent during her husband’s humiliating collapse – and has recently become one of his most important campaign supporters.

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RELATED | GOP WOMEN GET THE GOODS ON WILLIAM TIMMONS

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Last week, our media outlet obtained an email sent from Timmons in June of 2022 to his wife’s law firm – Charleston, S.C.-based Shannon Jones Law.

“This is William Timmons,” the congressman wrote in the email, which copied his own attorney, state representative Jason Elliott.

In the email, Timmons acknowledged “my actions, and the ensuing media coverage, have made our marriage unsustainable.” He indicated his wife planned to file for divorce on the grounds of adultery, and that he would “not contest” her claim.

“Sarah and I have reached a settlement so we do not anticipate this being particularly complex,” Timmons wrote, noting the agreement “is secured by a piece of property I deeded to Sarah.”

According to our sources, the property referenced in the email is the property we reported on in August of 2022.

“I have already substantially complied with my obligations under that agreement,” Timmons continued, referencing the secret settlement.

This is where the email got very interesting …

“Whether we need to record that document (the secret settlement) some other way is an open question,” Timmons wrote. “We both would strongly prefer that document not be made public in any way.”

“We would both like to keep this out of the media,” he added.

In an effort to keep the settlement from becoming public, Timmons asked his wife’s attorneys to assist him in coming up with a “path forward” to ensure the filing stayed under wraps.

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“Sarah mentioned that you had a preferred venue that could facilitate that,” Timmons wrote. “Would it be possible to file under our initials only and then have a hearing to request the case be sealed?”

Preferred venues? Initials only? Sealed case files? Gotta love the transparency, right?

Not surprisingly, when the couple did announce their separation, things went planmaessig.

“The court documents – in which Sarah Timmons asked the court for ‘separate support and maintenance’ from her husband – were sealed as soon as they were submitted,” I noted at the time.

We reached out to Timmons’ congressional campaign last week to get its perspective on these matters. To our surprise, we received a statement attributable to Sarah Timmons which she indicated should be used “in its entirety or not at all.”

In accordance with her wishes, here is the statement she provided in its entirety …

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William and I settled the matter of our marriage privately and we remain on good terms. I am appalled that our previous relationship has now been weaponized by Adam Morgan and his supporters for political purposes. Adam Morgan is as unserious as he is ineffective. I fully support William for re-election and know that he is the best candidate to represent us in Washington. Adam has attacked women in his votes and even now selfishly attacks a woman for his gain. Adam Morgan is not fit to serve in office.

-Sarah Timmons (5/30/2024

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Sarah Timmons independently confirmed both the authenticity and accuracy of the statement to this reporter.

Asked whether the congressman or his campaign had anything to add, William Timmons’ spokeswoman said “we’ll let Sarah’s statement speak for itself.”

The third-term congressman did address the matter briefly in late April at a GOP gathering in Greenville.

“I did get divorced last year,” Timmons said, adding that Sarah “has been one of my best friends for fifteen years and she is still one of my best friends.”

“It is extremely sad that our marriage failed, and um … its just sad.” Timmons said before adding that Sarah “fully supports” his reelection “she knows my record better than anyone.”

“Look, it’s sad that I am no longer married, but that’s all I got,” Timmons concluded.

Timmons has not commented, however, on the secret settlement or efforts to keep its contents – and his divorce papers – hidden from public view.

As for Sarah Timmons’ comments, Morgan’s campaign said it had nothing to do with the leaked Timmons’ email – because it had no idea the document even existed.

“We’ve not ever seen this,” Morgan’s campaign manager Randy Page said upon being furnished with a copy of the document.

Timmons and Morgan face off against each other next Tuesday (June 11, 2024) in the Republican primary election for the Palmetto State’s staunchly conservative fourth congressional district, a seat Timmons has held since 2019.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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