ALAN WILSON IRREGULARITIES LINKED TO CONSULTANT’S “PLAYBOOK”
Numerous financial irregularities associated with S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s campaign account have been linked to ethically questionable practices employed by his political consulting firm: Richard Quinn and Associates.
According to a staffer familiar with the details of these practices, candidates who retain “the Quinndom” for political consulting work routinely receive excess contributions during the state’s reporting periods.
“It’s rarely caught,” the staffer told us, adding that “if it is, we run the playbook.”
The first step in that “playbook?”
Adjusting the dates on specific contributions to make them conform (or at least appear to conform) with state law governing campaign contribution limits. The second step? Filing multiple amendments with the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC), the toothless “watchdog” agency that monitors contributions.
“We go through at least a dozen steps before any mention is made of returning the money,” the source continued, adding that returned money is routinely “re-routed to the candidate through contributions from other campaigns.”
Wow …
The end objective of all this? To keep clients of “the Quinndom” awash in cash to pay their consulting bills (as well as percentage payments on all media purchases).
Usually, the candidates are oblivious to the scam …
“They just want a big (fundraising) number,” our source explained.
Our source declined to say whether Wilson was aware of the use of this “playbook” with regard to his contributions.
Wilson’s irregularities – none of which are especially serious (and none of which benefitted him personally) – would have never been exposed were he not the focus of a full-frontal jihad from allies of S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell.
Why the bad blood? Well, Harrell is currently the subject of a grand jury investigation into multiple allegations of public corruption – a case Wilson is leading.
Harrell’s attorneys have sought to have Wilson booted from the case – although they have yet to publicly present evidence in support of this contenton. Efforts to have Wilson kicked off the case via a closed door meeting between Harrell’s attorneys and a state circuit court judge were unsuccessful.
Given the zealousness with which Wilson guards his reputation for doing things by the book, we find it hard to believe he would ever sanction anything resembling “monkey business” with his campaign funds. And unlike the Harrell scandal – which included hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper self-reimbursements – there’s nothing to suggest Wilson profited personally from his consultant’s “playbook.”
Still, there’s a serious perception problem here … one Harrell’s allies are eagerly exploiting in a desperate bid to save their boss’s bacon.
Our advice? Wilson should immediately disassociate himself from “the Quinndom” and hire campaign advisors who play by the rules (like he does). After all, one cannot wear the white hat while employing a posse of bag men to “ride dirty” behind him …
41 comments
One of the strategies liberals employ to fight their enemies, is to REGULATE expression, through campaign donations..
Of course, the left will use public funds to attack their political enemies, and pay off campaign workers…(see ACORN, Solyndra, Planned Parenthood, or IRS targeting Conservatives)…
Ken Ard was removed from office for using HiS money, the way the government said he could not…
For the Government, or FITS, to tell ANYONE how to spend their money, is ludicrous.
More power to The Quinns, and Wilson…To FITS and the liberals…SCREW YOU…
“Of course, the left will use public funds to attack their political enemies, and pay off campaign workers…(see ACORN, Solyndra, Planned Parenthood, or IRS targeting Conservatives)…”
Yeah, if they were smart they would accept big corporate money to fight their enemies political campaigns, and once elected, have the taxpayer fund their greedy projects like fracking.
Frack you…I’m so D@*n glad that fracking was approved by Bush, before that idiot Obama got a chance to F*#k that up like he has everything else. At least the states where fracking is being implemented, are THRIVING, in Obama’s Ugly FACE….
PS: Corporations are people w/ earned PAYCHECKS, benefits and lives…
The government is against all of that… and only bleeds the people to fatten corrupt and incompetent politicians, like Obama..
BigT, you’re so damn stupid. Big oil buyng pols to grab more money from the poor. Ask yourself this: Why would they (Koch) make sure the competition is silenced in this “so called” free market? Now go apeshit, see you n the morn…
Oil investors give people jobs, and prosperity, to feed their children. Obama and the liberal gov’t puts them on welfare and food stamps, until that runs out….You rob us blind to finance your elite lifestyle. You are greedy, unimaginative, lazy and corrupt.
Obama crucified BP. Said he’d put his ‘boot on the neck.’ BP has done more for America than Obama could do in a 1,000 years, provided he was not a disaster…
Obama, and liberals are the enemy to American families, and its people. Job providers are the answer to all of our fiscal problems. And that goes double for energy producers…
Yep, big oil gives them jobs cleaning up oil spills.
Why?Once again hes got the”R” and hes a conservative!right?Thats what he says.He wins in a Salk against some Democratic sacrificial lamb.
My advice to Wilson?Screw em!Do what the Hell you want!
The Ethics Commission is fixated on campaign donations which are freely given and can be stopped by the donor. They OUGHT to be concerned with the money that is confiscated from the taxpayer by the state and spent without regard to our wishes, and too often wasted or stolen. Ethics Commission is worthless.
well said and on point.
“Given the zealousness with which Wilson guards his reputation for doing things by the book, we find it hard to believe he would ever sanction anything resembling “monkey business” with his campaign funds.”
So, what is in Alan’s “book”, anyway? Does that include conveniently ignoring the misdeeds of his step-dad’s cronies and biggest political backers (The Lexington Crime Ring) and giving them a free pass on their numerous and continuing misdeeds and corruption? Does Alan’s “book” also include passages regarding ignoring the numerous and continuing malfeasance out of the Columbia/Richland political machine and its offshoots such as the Lott Family?
Fits, I really like your site and most of the time, am in complete agreement with many of your positions but a couple of things, man:
1) trying to make a silk purse out of ethically-challenged, anti-self-defense, Alan Wilson does not become you. It is hurting your credibility in the eyes of those whose eyes are open.
2) ditto keeping company and attempting to promote coke addict T-Rav in his bid to reclaim his “place” as one of our ruling class. A very wise (now retired) police Captain once told me something that was very true. He said, “once an addict, always an addict”. He was right. Not to say that people cannot wean themselves off of stuff and stay there, because they can, but they always have that monkey standing there, waiting to jump on their back if given the slightest encouraging look.
While T-Rav writes some very good political opinion which I find myself 100% in agreement with, I would not vote him back into office. He is obviously still wrestling with his addiction to power.
Wilson is not the impartial, bastion of political morality you try to paint him as being.
Otherwise, we would have members of the Lexington Crime Ring (some of the bigger ones) well on their way through the system to prison by now.
Lexington ring? Patience.
Oh please, any talk of indictments on those bastards is akin to black helicopter talk.
Harrell still has his “ace in the hole” in this mess. Jean Toal. Toal’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel is “investigating” Alan Wilson utilizing their corrupt, secret, flexible rules – in other words – it’s all at Toal’s discretion. Toal can damage Wilson at any time enough to spring Harrell. Toal owes Harrell big time. Get out the popcorn, this is going to get interesting.
Alan Wilson has a personal chef at his home. On $92,700? Have you send his house?
On $92,700?
He shops at Salvation Army.
They are rich before they take office. You can’t afford to run otherwise. I bet Haley is the poorest economically of any state wide office holder. But her folks have money. That always helps.
He was not rich. AG does not make much money. He does get a nice car courtesy of the taxpayers. But personal chef? Nah.
Great news! Alan Wilson probably is following in his pappies “you lie” footsteps using the very same players. If Harrell plays his cards right we can shit can both the devils spawn and then him when he sinks his own boat. It’s a win/win/win!!
God I love it when republicans eat themselves alive and self destruct!! More please!!
Like a corrupt company blaming their “outside contractors”
for everything they did wrong…
Does Wilson really think people won’t realize that he is the
one ultimately responsible for the actions of his campaign?!?
This explanation reminds me of the one he tried to use last
year when Alan tried to blame campaign interns for the checks that were
deposited but not reported on his campaign disclosures.
Kind of hard to still blame the intern when it finally comes
out that you were actually hiding $134,000 … unless maybe it is some kind of Super-Intern?
Man, this guy doesn’t just run, but sprints from responsibility
This is a perfect example of why no one is ever brought to justice in the ruling class. They all get the golden parachutes and sent out to pasture at the worst because when everyone starts airing the dirty laundry the sheeple see out in the open that every single damn one of them is crooked to the core.
What did you expect? You voted in a Republican – you get what you pay for!
Which hearing did you watch? The Wilson/Harrell hearing was
held in an open court and the evidence presented was pretty huge – Very unbecoming
of an Attorney General
Come on Will, you can’t just make up stuff and then hope
nobody notices
I’d say a state Attorney General using the power of his
office to make threats in order to get his pet project bill passed counts as at
least some form of “Evidence”
Apparently the Judge disagreed. I would think ‘pretty huge’ would have satisfied Harrell burden of proof, and it clearly did not.
Who knows if the Judge agreed or disagreed with Harrell. Judge hasn’t made a ruling yet. Proposed Orders aren’t due till tomorrow.
By “pretty huge” you mean one witness who admitted there was no “quid pro quo?” Then bickering with the AG about media leaks? If that’s pretty huge, you should check my shorts.
That hearing was a laff riot. It was astounding to see how little they had.
Pffttt!!!
Wilson – crook, no crook, don’t know? But now were all talking about that question instead of the ACTUAL one of Harrell, crook, no crook AND the fact that rather than spend any real time effort or shedding of light on why he – Harrell – is innocent, we see a full on media blitz, rumor campaign about how Wilson’s ethics are the real issue here. Bravo Mr, Harrell, Bravo, well played sir!
I bet these alleged “threats” made you take over $300,000.00 in self remibursements from your campaign account for use of your plan. Your campaign dist is what, maybe 30-40 miles wide. That’s a LOT of necessary campaign related flying I would think.
Had Wilson’s threats been any bolder or more overt…hell, Harrell may have ‘reimbursed’ himself over $500,000.00 prior to the meeting. sheesh.
*plane
Aren’t we glad to be one of only 4 states where our legislators insist that only they have the skills to police themselves ethically?
There are no secrets in Government, just cover-ups.
Bobby Harrell’s clone army is out in force in the comment section here. Most of the negative posts are from posters with no profile, so you cannot see what other articles they have posted on. Which is probably none, or only on articles about Wilson and Harrell.
I can remember sitting in Richard Quinn Sr.’s office with Reagan on election night 10 or so years ago. When the returns came in and the big winner was projected, I asked just how much money did they get from China? Reagan winced and looked at her dad. He just winked and grinned. Even JJ Darby used to try to convince me of Lindsay Graham’s Clinton-esque pro-China policy. The whole point of Quinndom is to see how many back channels they can find so that they can take massive amounts of money from donors who cannot legally make political contributions and then funnel the money out into the right places where contributions can be made. I used to think about how unfair it was that Howie Rich was always getting heat for this when what he was doing was downright angelic compared to Richard.
https://www.fitsnews.com/2008/07/16/fake-immigration-reform-in-south-carolina/
TO HARRELL AND HIS CRONIES: … Do all you will, even you Gedney. But in the end of all the kicking, screaming, mudslinging, etc, Harrell still goes to prison. And, perhaps, you shall be flushed down the toilet with him. Your fate is already sealed, anyway. You are going to end up being punished. But keep fighting all you will. It just amuses those watching from the sky how desperate all of you really are to avoid incarceration. You have done so many crimes, you are now going to end up doing time. Have fun, idiots. We laugh at you all.
Soon to be breaking story, several SC State Judges accused of felonies.
Swindler Lexington lawyer Breibart gave heavily to Alan Wilson
Current state Attorney General Alan Wilson was the biggest recipient of Breibart’s generosity, raking in some $28,000 from Breibart and his law office.
Political consultant Richard Quinn Sr., a spokesman for Wilson’s campaign, said Wednesday that Wilson is in the process of turning over a match for the entire $28,000 received in eight different contributions from Breibart and his law firm over four election cycles from 2010 to from Breibart to the Children’s Trust.
Wilson started that process after Breibart was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this month for flimflamming his clients, Quinn said.
“The disclosure report we are now preparing to be submitted by April 10, 2014, will reflect that we have remitted all $28,000 in past contributions connected to Mr. Breibart as donations to the Children Trust Fund of South Carolina,” Quinn said.
Quinn also said, “Our campaign made this decision because the attorney general’s disclosure records for the past four years are receiving intense scrutiny.
The money that Breibart contributed to candidates came during the very years Breibart was stealing millions from some clients and taking sizeable fees from clients and failing to do work for others, according to a federal indictment in his case and local lawyers.
Breibart stole some $2.4 million from clients from November 2010 to June 1, 2012, when the Supreme Court suspended him suddenly and without explanation and his law firm shut down…
The earliest known case for which he took money and did little or no work dates from 2007, A full accounting of all the money Breibart stole from people has never been released by the S.C. Bar or the S.C. Supreme Court, is apparently still investigating his actions before it delivers a final sanction.
Earlier this month, U.S. Judge Margaret Seymour sentenced Breibart, 63, to five years in federal prison.
…”he gave more than $40,000 to politicians during that time. …Most candidates Breibart gave to won office.
Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/03/26/3025215/swindler-lexington-lawyer-breibart.html#storylink=cpy
Does he use the same accountant that his father uses ???
You cannot be in SC Politics without being corrupt, they feed off each other but remember in 7th grade civics where they taught about the circuit courts, how if one was guilty they all were, thats our SC, A Corrupt Ciruit, and There is Nothing that We Can Do.