HOUSE SPEAKER SEEKS TO BLOCK ATTORNEY GENERAL’S GRAND JURY PROBE
It’s no big secret that S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell (RINO-Charleston) is as corrupt a politician as South Carolina has ever seen. Hell, we’ve been calling for him to step down for over a year in response to his various self-serving shenanigans …
Here’s what we know: In September 2012, Harrell was busted reimbursing himself more than $325,000 from his campaign account for dubious flight-related expenses (Harrell is a pilot). He later admitted his guilt by returning $23,000 of these reimbursements – although a proper accounting would have likely resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in additional reimbursements. Harrell also stands accused of applying improper pressure on the S.C. Pharmacy Board and the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR) on behalf of his pharmaceutical business – using his official letterhead, no less.
Beyond that, his political action committee is under investigation for allegedly misappropriating and misreporting funds – including an effort to force taxpayers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars on an unnecessary transportation project.
And that’s just the corruption we know about …
Of course it’s not just that Harrell is a dirty dealer – he compounds his corruption with equally devious attempts to evade accountability.
First he lied and refused to release his records. Then he assassinated the character of one of the reporters investigating him – strong-arming her newspaper into backing down by allegedly threatening to withhold an annual $12 million bribe given by the S.C. General Assembly to the newspaper industry.
Peach of a guy, huh?
Despite his machinations, Harrell is currently the focus of a statewide grand jury convened by S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson – and it’s becoming clear things aren’t going his way.
According to reporter John Monk of The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper, Harrell’s attorneys – including Charleston lawyers Gedney Howe and Bart Daniel – are attempting to meet in secret with circuit court judge Robert Hood in an effort to persuade him to remove Wilson from the case.
“A secret decision by a lone judge in a hearing closed to the public that resulted in disqualifying South Carolina’s top elected prosecutor from prosecuting a high-profile case against one of the state’s most powerful politicians would be unprecedented,” Monk writes.
It would also be the best evidence yet that “the fix is in” on Harrell’s case …
Wilson’s office told Monk that it strongly opposes “both the request for a closed hearing and any disqualification of the attorney general.”
We hope that’s accurate …
As we’ve noted on numerous previous occasions, there is nothing to suggest Wilson hasn’t been conducting this investigation – like his previous public corruption cases – with the utmost integrity. As far as we can tell, his reputation as a boy scout who is impervious to the shady deal-making at the S.C. State House complex is well-earned.
Our hope is that Harrell is seeking to remove Wilson from the case because Wilson has the goods on him and is preparing to drop the hammer … not some other reason.
Whatever is behind Harrell’s latest ploy, one thing is clear: Any hearing involving the potential removal of Alan Wilson as the lead prosecutor on Harrell’s corruption case must be held in public, not behind closed doors as Harrell’s lawyers have suggested.
36 comments
I know Robert Hood. He would not have such a hearing UNLESS Jean Hoefer Toal has ordered him to do this. This action would be consistent with Harrell working to get Toal re-elected at all costs. Toal once would have just called Jahue Moore – Joe Wilson’s # 1 aide behind his wife – and gotten him to tell Alan to back down. The problem now is that Alan is beginning to think for himself a little bit and he knows the voters are onto Jean’s scams and corruption. This is going to be interesting.
Im sure Jean Toals fingerprints are all over this. This deal was cut a long time ago.
Toal is so crooked they will have to screw her into the ground when she dies!
That will be the only screwing Toal gets! Screwed into the ground!
It would be like sticking a poisonious snake, a butt ugly poisonious snake!
Jean Toal will finish her drink and then come save little Bobby.
Shyow me an honest lawyer and I can show you a tombstone!
I’ve known Toal for 40 years, my opinion, she would have no problem instructing a judge how to handle a case. I feel she has in the past and will continue to do so,
It is ridiculous that such a guy who is guilty of campaign finance issues be investigating this case anyway. AG Daddy’s Boy is just as corrupt. Every other week we hear of another incident where Alan has illegally taken money. The AG needs to be investigated!!!!!
Alan will do anything for the spotlight! Even allow folks in his office to comment on a Grand Jury investigation even though it is against the law. He’s just as corrupt as the rest of them. How many more times are we going to hear about him illegally taking money and giving it back!!!!
“….Charleston lawyers Gedney Howe and Bart Daniel…”
Bobby’s pockets are going to be a lot lighter after those two pull their hands out
Normally, I agree with Fits close to 100% on most things. This, not so much. Fits is painting Alan Wilson as some bastion of honesty and integrity, which I just don’t see.
Fits, tell us how Alan has aggressively prosecuted Jimmy, Danny, Randy, Jake, and numerous other members of the Lexington crime ring; you know, some of his dad’s best buds and biggest supporters. I’ll be waiting, but don’t expect me to hold my breath.
Tell us how Alan has aggressively prosecuted members of the Columbia/Richland crime ring and/or members of the Lott Crime Family for their on-going and quite numerous misdeeds. Again, I will be waiting, but don’t expect me to hold my breath.
Alan does seem to have disdain for self-defense in SC as evidenced by his hard work in trying to keep the Dickey man, who was wrongfully sent to prison after shooting a belligerent drunk who was trying to bully him, in prison, even after the SC Supreme Court rightly found that he should be set free.
I truly hope we have a viable candidate emerge who can beat Wilson in November. He needs to be replaced. We also do not need yet another birthright political dynasty candidate in the AG’s office.
Tell us how Alan has aggressively prosecuted Jean HoeferToal for obstruction of justice and abuse of process with her ODC gang?
Some married lawyer dude in Alan’s office was screwing some married chick lawyer in Jean’s office and boom, the complaints all went away. No kidding.
When Jean gets Bill Nettles to get his FBI IT buds to get your IP address and tell her who you really are, you are in so much trouble. Just sayin’. All that was just rumor. Hahaha.
“we’ve been calling for him to step down for over a year”
You mean Harrell did not jump when ordered to do so by Sic Willie? Didn’t Sic Willie appoint him to his position? Oh that’s right, I forgot, it was first the voters of Harrell’s district and then the members of the General Assembly.
Don’t hold Will up to standards that even the constituents of your fine state can’t manage.
The judge in this case is the Honorable Robert E. Hood . In his short two years as a Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, it can be shown he is a no nonsense advocate for harshly penalizing those who plead guilty or are found guilty in his courtroom. This is the last person you would expect to be “political” in Harrell’s predicament. I would be astonished if anything became of Harrell’s request to remove SCAG Wilson in a public or private hearing.
Thomas, You seem to know this judge and are obviously persuaded of his integrity in the wake of a state judiciary that is controlled tightly by Justice Toal. I’d like to believe you but am more sanguine than that. Please post your reaction to Anonymous below who writes,
“I know Robert Hood. He would not have such a hearing UNLESS Jean Hoefer
Toal has ordered him to do this. This action would be consistent with
Harrell working to get Toal re-elected at all costs.”
I think he is “untouchable”. I thought the same about Sheriff Leon Lott and Sheriff James Metts . Sheriff Lott protected former CPD Chief Randy Scott by hiring him as a detective when we now find out had an adulterous affairs with his subordinates while Chief of the Columbia Police Department. Former Chief Scott does not rate any position in law enforcement knowing this. Sheriff Metts was excorciated in the sworn
— If CJ Toal tries to influence a sitting judge for political purposes,
then we obviously have a broken judicial system where trust and duty
and sworn oaths are really just something to be ignored when a tax payer
provided paycheck and a tax payer provided pension which includes 80%
of healthcare costs saddled on Mr and Mrs John Q. Taxpayer is at stake. —
I agree 100%. I’d like to ring the neck of the bums who reelected her last month. They should be taken out, given one last cigarette, and shot.
“If CJ Toal tries to influence a sitting judge for political purposes, then we obviously have a broken judicial system….”
We have a horribly, corrupt, broken system. I have seen judges at our county courthouse have to recess a hearing so he/she could take a call from the Chief Justice Toal. I have seen their grey, stone cold, angry faces when they come out of those private chambers after those phone calls.
I wouldn’t advocate shooting the legislators (bums) who voted for Toal. I advocate putting them on the old time county chain gangs like in the 1920’s and 1930’s and letting them pick up road side trash in their home counties each day so that their former constituents can see them.
Wow. Can you imagine the explosion that is going to take place if 1. Toal cannot save Harrell from indictment, and 2. Toal cannot get Alex Sanders to twist the arms of the C of C board members to select Glenn McConnell? She promised!!!!!!
Kudos to John Monk, South Carolina’s last investigative reporter.
A reminder: stateintegrity.org ranks South Carolina’s state government “fifth most corrupt.”
http://www.stateintegrity.org/your_state
http://www.stateintegrity.org/south_carolina
Judicial Accountability ranked F (44%)
http://www.stateintegrity.org/southcarolina_survey_judicial_accountability
Legislative Accountability ranked F (58%)
http://www.stateintegrity.org/southcarolina_survey_legislative_accountability
Ethics Enforcement Agencies ranked F (52%)
http://www.stateintegrity.org/southcarolina_survey_ethics_enforcement_agencies
You all hate Toal as much as I hate Bush… surely she can’t be as incompetent or stupid!
We have explained this to you before. You apparently don’t want to believe. It’s like when one guy went to Rep. James Smith to show him exactly how Toal was and is corrupt in a very specific situation. Smith asked that he not be told – he just didn’t want to know it.
Toal is not incompetent or stupid. She is bald faced, openly corrupt. She is addicted to power. She gives/grants/bestows political gifts for power. She inherited family money. She has an insatiable need to boss and bully people around. She has to think of herself as the consummate inside player and operator.
An overly strict English teacher would at least be honest. Toal is not honest.
Well, I heard you the first time. I bought the hit and run stuff. Also, she’s gotten black guys into spots where they wouldn’t have made it through subterfuge and really pissed off the lawyers in the state… it’s all very strange. Who’s paying her, what is she trying to accomplish, and why? If she’s on the payroll, how does she hide the income? Is it just the job? She couldn’t keep it without the good old boys? What’s her agenda and what does she want power *for*? Just a vindictive bitch? I hate vindictive bitches!
It’s not that I don’t *want* to believe, it’s just that I’ve seen a kind of hysteria around Hillary that runs pretty much parallel… not all of it underserved, but *really*? I really don’t have any reason to think she’s not a good old boy in a good old boy state, drunk on power without any principles – totally corrupted by it. You all seem to have a shit load of corruption out there.
I haven’t changed my mind.. she still looks to be a good old boy to me. Maybe that’s what it takes.
But you won’t be able to cow my feeling that there’s more to this than simply “Toal is a corrupt bitch in a system that protects her”..
Get the fucking goods on her, and hang her from the highest tree – see if I care – I’ll bring the rope. I’m interested in liberal goals, not corruption.
Now we see if Bobby’s back room deals, threats, and vote swapping to get Toal re-elected last month will pay-off for him.
That’s some awesome reporting. But it doesn’t count because it’s in print, right FITS?
“Sub Rosa” — The latest chapter in Harrell’s struggle to keep his hearing secret:
Three cheers for Ashley Landess, Jay Bender and Alan Wilson.
Good work. Keep going. Don’t stop.
The Post and Courier
Side fight in Harrell case should be public, media lawyer says
By Schuyler Kropf
Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2014 5:04 p.m.
The next duel over House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s grand jury investigation could — and should — play out in public, a media rights attorney says.
S.C. Press Association lawyer Jay Bender says the emerging fight between Harrell’s attorneys and Attorney General Alan Wilson should be seen in open court.
“For that hearing to be held in secret would certainly diminish any credible outcome the case has one way or the other,” he said.
The State newspaper of Columbia reported Thursday that Harrell’s legal team wants a state circuit judge to remove Wilson as the prosecutor in the state grand jury probe of Harrell, R-Charleston.
The report quoted sources close to law enforcement who are familiar with the developments.
Bender said the hearing between the two sides should be held in open court. While the request may have stemmed from a grand jury probe, it is not connected to the actual grand jury investigation, meaning it is not part of that secrecy, Bender said.
Harrell’s legal team reportedly is pursuing a closed-door hearing with Judge Robert Hood of Columbia regarding Wilson, the sources said.
Charleston lawyer Bart Daniel, who represents Harrell, declined comment Thursday. A spokesman for Wilson said “our office has no further comment at this time.”
In January, Wilson’s office announced that the probe into Harrell’s conduct has been referred to a state grand jury, where it will be evaluated behind closed doors for possible wrongdoing.
Harrell said earlier he was shocked that the case was directed to a grand jury, saying he “cooperated fully and voluntarily” with the state investigation up to that point.
The probe into Harrell’s conduct dates back almost a year, including when S.C. Policy Council President Ashley Landess filed a complaint raising the issue of whether Harrell used his campaign account and legislative office for personal gain.
Landess alleged, among other things, that Harrell may have used his office to benefit a family business and utilized campaign funds for personal use.
Harrell has called the complaint “a baseless attack that is driven by personal and political vendetta.”
Other allegations stemmed from a 2012 Post and Courier report that raised accusations Harrell couldn’t account for money withdrawn from his campaign, and that he had used his campaign account for personal expenses.
Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551.
The URL for this article is
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140313/PC1610/140319688/1177/side-fight-in-harrell-case-should-be-public-media-lawyer-says
There was a great line in Monk’s story that I wanted to comment on. Apparently Jay Bender or someone said this is an unprecedented situation in SC’s legal system.
How do we know it’s unprecedented? If others have been kept better secrets than this, we wouldn’t, right?
Chilling.
Harrell’s lawyers went judge shopping. But before they could act, they were exposed. Having seen the inside of our state’s legal system – the cesspool of corruption that overwhelms our courts, this is how things normally work. When we find our who the circuit court judge is that they have in their pocket, he/she will be persecuted by the public and eventually thrown under the bus. Bart Daniels is cutting his own throat with this case. Obviously, there are many that will go down with Harrell when he falls. And he is going to fall. So with that said, they are fighting exposure and lengthy prison sentences. This is not a matter for state prosecutors. This is clearly a matter for federal intervention to drain the swamp and kick the corrupt lawless rogues into prison cells where they belong. It MUST BE DONE. We know they are guilty of felonies. So they fight to hold on to their freedom from incarceration. But in the final analysis, they will lose everything they own. Too bad. They did it too themselves. In the end, Harrell’s attorneys will go down with him.
I don’t think so scooter, federal intervention could very well take Wilson and his leaches down on his own Ethics violations. The Feds need to look at Wilson’s self-serving dealings, which they will, and will ultimately find Wilson’s corruption and his leaches. My money is on Harrell, he is going to take Wilson down.
Robert Hood would be very very foolish to rule on anything in this matter. If he values his own interest, his job, and wants to avoid prison, he best stay away and let the Constitution and the laws of We The People do what must be done to Harrell and the rest of his corrupt associates. Judgment Day Cometh. People are going to prison from this matter. But it’s funny watching them all run around in circles trying to avoid it. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!
Simply not true. Wilson is the Pot calling the Kettle Black. Who is going to investigate Wilson for campaign fraud? If Wilson values his own interest and his job, he best stay away from Harrell. Wilson is getting bad advice from his leaches and cronies, stay tuned, Wilson is going to lose this one.
Suck Harrell’s deek much? Tell him not to bend over to pick up the soap.
I dunno, seem like this will be another case of “move along, nothing to see here”. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. I’d rather it be a case of corrupt lawmakers getting their just dues, but the fix(es) are probably already in.
Sigh…
“Wilson’s office told Monk that it strongly opposes “both the request for a closed hearing and any disqualification of the attorney general.”