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by WILL FOLKS
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As we exclusively reported yesterday evening, Lowcountry South Carolina school board trustee Michele Leber – wife of embattled S.C. state senator Matt Leber – turned herself into authorities on Friday morning (November 7, 2025) in connection with a criminal charge she is facing.
Leber was booked at the Charleston County detention center shortly after 8:00 a.m. EST on a third degree domestic violence charge. FITSNews has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the agency which is investigating the incident which led to her arrest, seeking any and all publicly available information related to it.
As of 5:15 p.m. EST on Friday, no information has been provided. However, a Lowcountry media outlet – The Carolina Courier – posted a pair of still images taken from a cellphone video which purports to depict the alleged assault.
That video has “been provided to law enforcement,” the publication reported.
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According to the Courier report, several days ago Michele Leber “appeared outside the family residence intoxicated and disruptive, prompting the Senator to record her behavior.”
“Upon realizing she was being recorded, our source tells us Mrs. Leber attempted to seize her husband’s phone, causing a laceration on his arm,” the Courier report continued. “Days later, after learning Senator Leber possessed photographic evidence of the injury, Mrs. Leber is said to have threatened to accuse the Senator of sexual assault in an effort to counter any claims he may make of domestic violence.”
In a Facebook post late Thursday, Matt Leber referenced impending reports of “legal challenges” his wife was facing.
“Michele and I have been working to negotiate the end of our marriage for more than a year,” Leber wrote. “Despite our efforts to part amicably, circumstances have escalated to a point where the safety and well-being of our children must be my paramount priority. I am fully cooperating with the authorities and have faith in the legal process to ensure fairness for everyone.”
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RELATED | SENATOR’S WIFE FACING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARREST
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Michele Leber provided FITSNews with a lengthy statement early Friday morning, but as of this publication we are not authorized to print it.
Michele Leber did address the situation in a Facebook post of her own.
“There are a lot of false allegation being shared by my estranged husband who broke our marriage up with his affair,” she wrote early Friday morning. “This is all in (an attempt) to regain his public persona and discredit me.”
“I am asking for his resignation!” Michele Leber added.
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According to an order from S.C. chief justice John Kittredge, Berkeley County magistrate Debra Kay Littlejohn has been assigned to preside over Leber’s case to avoid any conflicts given her status as an elected official in Charleston County.
It remains to be seen which prosecutorial office will handle Leber’s case…
While we await the release of information related to the Leber case, Carolina Courier published a photo it obtained from “sources close to the senator” purporting to show “the injuries sustained by Matt Leber which ultimately led to the arrest of his wife.”
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? Lowcountry media outlet Carolina Courier has published an image of an injury reportedly sustained by S.C. senator Matt @VoteLeber allegedly inflicted by his wife, S.C. School Board trustee Michele Leber… pic.twitter.com/9hE8ozSZPK
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) November 7, 2025
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Michele Leber publicly accused her husband back in August of having an extramarital affair with his political consultant, Rebecca Madsen. Since then, Madsen has been linked to the Palmetto State’s über-liberal, über-wealthy trial lawyer lobby. Michele Leber referred to Madsen as her husband’s “whore” – and claimed there were others with whom she was engaging in extramarital liaisons.
“There are more married men,” she publicly alleged, referencing Madsen. “She has had multiple affairs and likely blackmail on others. Divorces coming!”
Madsen’s estranged husband, Rob Madsen, echoed the allegations against his wife in a comment left on social media.
“Rebecca and I are in the middle of a divorce brought on by these types of issues,” he wrote on Facebook.
Matt Leber has also been accused of engaging in other extramarital relationships – at times allegedly using taxpayer resources to facilitate those affairs.
Matt Leber narrowly defeated incumbent senator Sandy Senn in the 2024 GOP primary for S.C. Senate District 41 (.pdf) – and took office last fall after a decisive general election victory. Michele Leber won election to the Charleston County school board last November, and has emerged as one of its most vocal pro-parent representatives and aggressive proponents of artificial intelligence.
This is a developing story… please check back for updates.
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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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5 comments
She said, he said.
Women can be over vindictive in can’t court matters. As one Low country magistrate once said, “The laws in this state are for the women.”
And men can’t?
The SC State Senate has more in common with the movie Animal House than I realized.
The Gov should remind them that fat, Dumb and stupid is no way to go through life.
The part of family values right folks?
The SC Senate is a cesspool. Not just the Senators but many employees. It all starts at the top with Alexander and Gossett.