On the same day a “Republican” state lawmaker from Georgetown County, S.C. announced his intention to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with an illegal stem cell harvesting operation, a Democratic lawmaker from the Upstate also found himself in some legal trouble.
S.C. Rep. Harold Mitchell (D-Spartanburg) – who was suspended from office last year during an investigation on tax charges – is facing fresh ethics charges from his colleagues on the S.C. House Ethics Committee.
Of course before anyone assigns too much credibility to that committee, let’s not forget its members gave S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley a hall pass last year despite clear and compelling evidence that she broke state ethics law on multiple occasions. Meanwhile the S.C. Senate Ethics Committee ran a black Democrat out of office on much lesser charges.
Ah, the “beauty” of selective ethics enforcement in South Carolina … where your punishment for breaking the law apparently depends on your partisan affiliation.
Anyway …
On at least one of the counts against Mitchell, his attorney acknowledges his client misspent campaign funds on gout medication because he “had no other money.” Mitchell’s attorney also admits his client took a loan from his campaign to make a payment on his personal vehicle – which is another violation of state law.
Republican members investigating Mitchell insist his improper use of campaign funds is much more serious – potentially totaling more than $100,000. Defenders of Mitchell insist bank errors are to blame for discrepancies.
“All these black lawmakers – they live out of their campaign accounts,” one GOP lawmaker told FITS. “It is common knowledge – and it’s why none of them want ethics reform.”
Haley – the Palmetto State’s arch-offender when it comes to ethics violations – has been pushing lawmakers hard on the issue of ethics reform. In fact she’s made the issue her top legislative priority heading into the 2014 session of the S.C. General Assembly.
Is Haley’s plan any good? Hell no …
Most glaringly, it fails to eliminate the self-policing of elected officials that enables so many of them to evade accountability for their actions.
15 comments
“All these black lawmakers – they live out of their campaign accounts,”
Way to represent the GOP and SC, bucktooth.
All these black lawmakers – they live out of their campaign accounts
Robert Ford on line one to dispute that.
Oh.
Wait.
That’s what I’m saying. It’s an anonymous quote (which I’m not doubting). Why the hell would he/she be afraid to just say ‘Them thar Danged niggers caint keep dey hands out the cookie jar!!’. Geez XP
They live out of the cookie jars because with Jean Toal is constantly making sure nothing happens to them as long as they deliver Democratic votes. Nothing will happen to this dude either – so long as he promises to vote for Jean in February, 2014. Wait and see.
Just like McBride, Ford, and this guy. You go…go make the black man proud.
Is there a political entity anywhere in the world run by black people that isn’t fucked up?
Not defending Mitchell either, I see it as GOP frying Dems, or Dems frying GOP, but when the anonymous “GOP lawmaker” brings up “blacks” then says “why none of them want ethics reform.” like it’s blacks stopping ethics reform it kind of toasts my buns. Is the South Carolina state legislature made up of a majority of blacks? No, so the reason there is not real ethics reform is because ALL the crooked SOBs want to stop it, black and white (and Asian, etc.).
Well, SC Republicans are able to convince their voters that someone other than them draws the state and federal districts.
Their voters seem to think Jim Clyburn draws his own district, not white GOP legislators.
Shit
Damn, I would’ve given a brother some Allopurinol. I know how gout feels.
Yeah, looks to me that the GOP the SC Black Caucus aligned itself with on occasions like the first Amazon vote and gerrymandering districts to create safe, white GOP districts and safe, black Dem districts, is telling them there’s one set of rules for the GOP and another for the Dems.
Wonder what the Black Caucus learns from this?
“Beg for what you want, steal what you need.”
I don’t think Fits likes black people.
Gotta be fish-belly white.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s turn is coming …. its in the wind ~~~
Hey it goes down to small town officials. Was told it wasn’t an ethics violation by SC Municipal Association.