|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
South Carolina state representative Heather Bauer – who fancies herself as a far left woke super heroine – made quite a splash earlier this year when she proposed impeaching the current state treasurer, Curtis Loftis.
Bauer was the latest to pile on Loftis following a $1.8 billion accounting error which (we thought) created a massive surplus for taxpayers. Now, status quo politicians are claiming the money doesn’t exist – and are trying to tar and feather Loftis for the error (even though he is not the state’s accountant).
“The treasurer knew or should have known of serious reporting errors,” Bauer said last month at a press conference. “Instead of correcting these errors, the treasurer and other state officials colluded to cook the books and mislead the public and the state legislature.”
“If he will not go voluntarily, we need to hold hearings on who knew what and when immediately and then proceed with impeachment to remove him,” Bauer added.
Wait… “who knew what and when?”
More on that critical phraseology in a moment…
***
In her impeachment press conference, Bauer proceeded to accuse Loftis of lying under oath during his testimony before the S.C. Senate last year.
“Treasurer Loftis was not honest when he appeared, under oath, before the Senate to give testimony and claimed the $1.8 billion was real money for which he was able to account,” she said. “Instead of providing honest answers and solutions, Treasurer Loftis was combative and evasive.”
We now know a good bit more about the reason for Loftis’ combativeness…
As FITSNews exclusively reported last week, acting S.C. comptroller general Brian J. Gaines sent a letter to Loftis about this situation in December 2023. In the letter (.pdf), , Gaines indicated that the comptroller’s office, the state auditor and an external audit firm were “all confident to a reasonable degree of certainty” the $1.8 billion was “part of the (state’s) general fund balance.”
I.e., real money.
Not only that, Gaines explicitly urged Loftis to move the money into the “appropriate” general fund account so it would be “accurately reported and fully visible to the General Assembly.”
The purpose of such a transfer, Gaines said, was to enable “the state (to) gain the benefit of the money.”
In other words, he wanted lawmakers to be able to spend it…
***
***
Gaines’ December 2023 assertions are significant because, in addition to goading Loftis into recognizing the $1.8 billion, he signed off on this “treatment” of the cash in the state’s 2022 and 2023 annual reports.
“So… if the money isn’t real, it would mean Loftis’ previous statements under oath about its existence were not only shared by Gaines and the internal and external auditors, they were the ones who supplied him with the erroneous information in the first place,” I noted in my report.
And not only that, they were the ones insisting he designate the funding as being available for legislative appropriation.
So… where is Bauer’s resolution of impeachment against Gaines?
Hmmmmm…
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Loftis is a Republican (one of the few actual conservative GOP elected officials in state government) while Gaines is a Democrat. In fact, he’s the only Democrat currently serving in statewide office after GOP lawmakers couldn’t settle on a replacement for ousted former S.C. comptroller general Richard Eckstrom two years ago.
Certainly partisan politics and ideological inclinations aren’t factoring into Bauer’s decisions, right?
Right?
***
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.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
3 comments
Alan Wilson has let this affair get out of control because he is making deals to get elected governor.
He won’t criticize Comptroller Gaines because he is a black Democrat, even though he is incompetent.
Nancy Mace is right. Alan Wilson is a do nothing AG.
Comptroller Gaines has a free pass for anything he does.
Senator Grooms and Peeler want Loftis gone because he screwed up one too many of their wasteful spending plans.
Loftis was DOGE 10 years before Elon Musk made it fashionable.
The Comptroller General’s books don’t balance, according to my friend, a CPA that does a significant amount of government accounting consulting. He says their mapping is all wrong and senior management is incompetent and it has nothing to do with the known controversy.