Controversial ‘Republican’ Rules Change Prompts Altercation On S.C. House Floor

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So-called “Republican” leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a major rules package this week dramatically amending the way debate is conducted within the chamber – which is ostensibly led by a GOP “supermajority.”

According to members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus – a group of conservative lawmakers – the new rules package contained multiple provisions designed to limit debate in the House, thus hamstringing their ability to force roll call votes on key issues and hold their left-leaning colleagues accountable. They say passage of the rules package is part of an ongoing campaign by “Republican” leadership to limit the influence of the conservative wing of the party – and to shield liberal GOP lawmakers from having to cast votes at odds with the will of their constituents.

The new package, H. 3815, was crafted by a committee chaired by state representative Micah Caskey – an ardent apologist for the status quo. Caskey’s committee reportedly convened to pass the legislation just thirty minutes before lawmakers convened. According to the caucus, they did so at a hearing which wasn’t live-streamed – and at which no public testimony was heard.

The package, as approved by the committee, subsequently passed the chamber by a 63-38 vote.

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“The new rules strip legislators of their one tool to pull bills from establishment-controlled committees and get a public vote on them,” the Freedom Caucus noted. “The Swamp regularly kills good legislation using the committee structure. This is an attack on transparency and our representative institution. And it only happened because RINOs don’t want on-the-record votes that expose their true colors.”

Speaking of those true colors, as the votes were being tallied, newly minted S.C. House communications czar Brandon Guffey – a water-carrier for “Republican” leadership – reportedly attempted to initiate an altercation with Freedom Caucus member Josiah Magnuson.

As Guffey was taking a photograph of the voting board, Magnuson reportedly told him “I know what you’re up to” or, depending on whose version you accept, “I know what you’re trying to do – say we’re voting with Democrats.”

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Guffey allegedly lost his temper and told Magnuson to “keep my name out of your mouth” or else he would “kick your ass” or “beat your ass,” again, depending on the account. Alternate reports indicate Guffey then “lunged” or “bowed up” to Magnuson – forcing lawmakers to have to separate them.

According to state representative Jay Kilmartin, Guffey told Magnuson “you don’t want trouble” and pushed representative Thomas Beach to the side as he began “moving toward Josiah.” At that point, S.C. minority leader Todd Rutherford reportedly had to restrain Guffey – telling him “not here.”

“It all happened in about ten seconds,” Kilmartin said.

According to Rutherford, Guffey did not charge Magnuson – but the second-term lawmaker from Rock Hill, S.C. was “talking in a forceful manner to him.” He said he didn’t restrain Guffey because he was “facing Magnuson” at the time of the incident.

Magnuson confirmed being the recipient of threatening language – and said accounts of Guffey lunging at him and having to be restrained were “accurate.’ He told FITSNews he was not going to “make a big deal of it,” however.

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“I know he’s going through a lot right now,” Magnuson said, referring to recent developments in a criminal case related to the 2022 death of Guffey’s son, Gavin Guffey.

As for Brandon Guffey, he confirmed the substance of his “conversation” with Magnuson. However, he told FITSNews that reports of him lunging at the lawmaker – or attempting to initiate a physical altercation – were false.

“I did tell him to keep my name out of his mouth or we would have a serious problem,” Guffey said. “We sit four seats away from each other so I wasn’t in his face either. (Rutherford) was walking down the aisle and said ‘alright, sit down guys.’ No one need to restrain me or anything else.”

“I’m tired of lies being spread about me,” Guffey said. “The narrative Josiah was implying was that I somehow set up the rules stuff to make them look bad. A sophomore member of the house not in leadership, not in rules committee and too damn busy with my personal life doesn’t have time to worry about ‘how can we make them look bad.’ I have more important things to worry about in my life than trying to make someone look bad.”

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Guffey and Caskey have been at the epicenter of the ongoing ideological brawl between the Freedom Caucus and the Palmetto State’s uni-party “supermajority.” In recent months, Guffey has taken his disdain for Freedom Caucus members increasingly public – referring to several of them as “pedo protectors,” a nod to the scandal currently enveloping former caucus vice chairman R.J. May III.

May’s scandal has been a lifeline for the left-of-center GOP leaders, who were reeling following the 2024 primary elections last spring. S.C. speaker Murrell Smith and his uni-party allies spent more than $2 million of special interest money on a dirty, deceptive campaign to eradicate the conservative wing of their supermajority last June.

It didn’t work… in fact, the Freedom Caucus gained seats in the House.

Hence the ongoing effort by Smith and his allies to keep them from forcing inconvenient votes…

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised as to the latest developments at the S.C. State House – on and off the voting board.

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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. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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