S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell is guilty as sin when it comes to improperly reimbursing himself hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign account. In fact he’s returned $23,000 of the money – the equivalent of a bank robber returning to the scene of his crime and giving back a portion of his ill-gotten gains.
Not only that, a contemplated ethics complaint against the Lowcountry liberal outlines a host of other alleged abuses – including pressure allegedly applied by Harrell on the S.C. Pharmacy Board and the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR) to take actions benefitting his pharmaceutical business.
Harrell has yet to face public scrutiny over the pharmacy fiasco, but if his handling of the reimbursement controversy is any indication – there will be hell to pay for anyone who dares to challenge him. For example, Harrell viciously assassinated the character of the journalist who broke the reimbursement story … then he allegedly strong-armed her newspaper into backing down by threatening to withhold an annual $12 million bribe given by the S.C. General Assembly to the newspaper industry. Not only that he spent thousands of dollars attempting to ensure the reelection of one of his staunchest defenders on the S.C. House Ethics Committee – an entity notorious for covering up political scandals.
Harrell is a bad, bad dude … people. A crooked liberal masquerading as a “conservative Republican.”
As S.C. House Ways and Means chairman and more recently as Speaker, Harrell is one of the primary authors of our state’s “Lost Decade” – a period of government growth (and income shrinkage) that has left our state further behind the rest of the nation. Harrell is also a tireless supporter of our worst-in-the-nation public school system – and the author of the failed (and costly) government-run “accountability” system that perpetually moves academic goal posts in an effort to fool people into thinking our kids are getting smarter.
Now we find out he’s been enriching himself along the way … and using his position of authority to do so.
Of course here’s the saddest part of the Harrell saga – the total lack of accountability associated with the whole thing.
The only entity capable of administering justice in this case is already bought and paid for … by Harrell. According to data from the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC), Harrell has contributed $13,000 to the five “Republican” members of the House Ethics Committee.
Think any of them are going to vote against him?
Don’t be silly …
All of this is why South Carolina is one of the most corrupt states in America. Not only do our “Republican” elected officials profit handsomely from the growth of government they create, but there’s absolutely nothing anybody can do to stop them.
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21 comments
Are you saying he contributed to ONLY those five guys, or in reality did he contribute to 15 guys, 5 of which were on the committee?
Sorry, I can’ stop myself. It’s “5 of whom…”
Point taken, though.
Maybe Ralph No-man will challenge Harrell again and save us all!
Or, maybe he will hold that job for as long as he wants because the votes for House-Boss are recorded and politicians fear the man.
I wonder what owb’s opinion of this man is. Please indulge me, Jim.
Talk, talk, talk…what is that always the case when it comes to Harrell…FITS & Ashley at the Policy Council only TALK and never ACT.
They always talk about things Harrell is “guilty” of doing or and “investigation” that is in the works or on the brink of breaking…but nothing ever happens.
Maybe it’s because they’re the one’s full of it and not Harrell.
There is a very bad storm brewing over the horizon for Harrell. Nothing can stop it. It’s coming.
Hasnt Bobby always voted in favor of School Choice??? If thats the case arent you under some kind of Howard Rich decree to not make stuff up about him and instead make up good stuff like hes the second coming (ie see Tom Davis)???
So, shocking. Will and the Policy Council hate the speaker?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
y’all must figure if you throw enough at him something is bound to stick, or at least thought to be true. So far you’ve launched at least 10,000 fake investigations but nothing real. In fact this seems very familiar. Y’all’s attempt to take down the speaker is going about as well as your grand plans to take down the governor. seems both nikki and bobby aren’t falling too easily to your great political skillz
Harrell is going to prison. It’s already cast in stone.
“absolutely nothing anybody can do to stop them”
God Harrell does appear to operate in a World that he has created.
True it took God Harrell more than seven days to create his World, don’t think he has any stone tablet Commandants that he follows and as far as I can tell no Bible has been printed to date extolling his name and virtues.
However, on the other side of the coin God Harrell’s name is taken in vain multiple times daily by thousands, his proclamations are carried out with hidden contempt and if by chance the little bastard stumbles ever so slightly, thousands will fight to the death to get in line to kick his sorry ass to Hell, but not back.
This is all made up bull about the speaker. If he were a tea party douchebag, you wouldn’t be talking about him. Tom Davis gets no scrutiny because his ball sack sits astride your nose.
I thought you said your sources had the Feds all over this? Did he give campaign contributions to the agents?
Tell your friend Harrell, that his days are numbered.
Everybody knows his office staff and other staff members over at the General Assembly read Fitsnews.
Wow, the Blatt-Building posters are in overdrive today. “A vast tea-party conspiracy is libeling the Speaker. To the computers, men, make haste!” A hit dog sure does holler.
Why are politicians allowed to give money to other politicians?
“All of this is why South Carolina is one of the most corrupt states in America. Not only do our “Republican” elected officials profit handsomely from the growth of government they create, but there’s absolutely nothing anybody can do to stop them.”
Yawsa. And if you think one serious recommendation made by the governor’s special ethics commission — due January 28th — will be made law, you are crazy, man.
Long overdue to clean up this corrupt and lawless government.
Lets start with this fucked up son of a bitch, Bobby Harrell. Everybody focus on him. Force him and his cohorts into prison cells. Come on people … We have a job to do.
Take Back Your Government from these sick power freaks. Show him who the the boss is. Punish them!
He’s got a hot fucking ,big a s s ,and I want some.That’s all matters bout politics in,SC! Bend over,Bobby. I LOVE sin,especially when it makes those slurping noises…
He has his own political PAC which buys his supporters, House and Senate. That is lack of ethics on steroids, but no one goes after it. He is safe because no one dares challenge The Speaker. Sad, but true.
Bob, I will bring you soap on a rope, and oh, some lube. Just in case.
Not true nobody can’t do anything. More true, people are afraid.
Guess who has authority?? Jane and John Q Citizen. Individual sovereign.
But citizen muscles are weak and flabby from little use. We rather hide in political parties, and bash the other with emotionally unreasoned labels as if the politicians are ‘better’ humans in one or the other.
Wake up, folks. Step into your government. Take politicians on, one by one, face to face. Bare knuckled. On your own. Citizens have the power or individual sovereign authority. Like wolves, we can use our own muscles and teeth to hunt. Servants hang in packs. They rely on group power, like herds. Our hunting skills are flabby and weak from little use, so you have to have thick skin, a strong heart, and stones to do the job.
I am exercising our weak flabby individual sovereign authority. I hunt corruption. Any other wolves out there? http://www.laurenscountycitizenswatch.com. I can’t take Harrell on now, I have many others I am hunting. I’ll help anyone who decides to take this on.