S.C. SPEAKER PERSONALLY PUSHED THROUGH LEGISLATION AIMED AT BLOCKING HIS OWN CORRUPTION PROBE
S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell (RINO-Charleston) has repeatedly told reporters that he had no involvement with a pair of bills aimed at neutering the state’s Attorney General – who is currently investigating Harrell on public corruption charges.
It looks like that may not be entirely true … or even a little bit true.
The Harrell story – which made national news last weekend – now revolves around the Speaker’s efforts to block S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s probe into his alleged indiscretions, which we’re told may include criminal conduct.
Obviously any role played by the Speaker in advancing such legislation could be viewed as an attempt to obstruct justice – assuming the allegations of criminal conduct are accurate.
Harrell’s bills were introduced last week with an overwhelming numbers of co-sponsors. Of course once the intention of the legislation became clear, supporters began to flee the bills.
But what was Harrell’s role in moving these bills forward? He says he had no role, but according to our sources he played perhaps the most critical role of all – advancing the bills surreptitiously through the House chamber.
Multiple sources have confirmed to FITS that Harrell personally advanced both of the anti-Wilson bills to the floor of the S.C. House – engaging in an elaborate and preconceived ruse to disguise their intent. Harrell then ordered both bills to be introduced “without reference” (meaning they would bypass the formal committee process and go straight to the House’s calendar).
Not only that, Harrell pulled off this procedural coup while the chamber of the S.C. House was virtually empty – ensuring his efforts would not draw any objection.
The barely noticed procedural drama went down at 10:00 a.m. on April 9 … as members were filing into the S.C. State House for their morning session.
According to our sources, Harrell asked to speak with S.C. Rep. Kris Crawford (R-Florence) – the lead sponsor of the two bills targeting Wilson. Crawford is said to have signaled something to Harrell, who reportedly nodded and signaled back to Crawford.
Moments later, with Harrell allegedly hurrying him along, the reading clerk of the S.C. House introduced a bill by Crawford which he merely said was “dealing with protocol.”
This was H. 5072, the first of two bills targeting Wilson’s authority to prosecute public corruption in South Carolina.
According to our sources, Harrell quickly grabbed the bill from the reading clerk and announced that Crawford had asked for “unanimous consent for the bill to be allowed to go without reference” – or without any public scrutiny prior to the House voting on it.
Harrell then ordered H. 5072 to be fast-tracked – without permitting any objections.
Sound like no big deal? That was the idea …
According to our sources, the clerk then introduced a bill “dealing with constitutional officers.”
This was H. 5073, a bill which would remove Wilson as the state’s top prosecutor.
Once again, Harrell is said to have hurriedly grabbed the legislation and announced that “Mr. Crawford asks unanimous consent for the bill to be allowed to go without reference. Without objection, so ordered.”
And so once again, one of the most controversial pieces of legislation ever introduced in South Carolina was fast-tracked to the floor of the S.C. House by the Speaker himself. With no one watching. And no one objecting.
In a matter of seconds, when no one was paying attention, Harrell unilaterally bypassed the committee process and placed a tremendously controversial bill on the House’s calendar – disguising its true intent to the handful of lawmakers who happened to be in the chamber at the time.
Harrell’s actions were recorded as part of the S.C. House Journal for April 9 … but we’re told there may be video of the procedural exchange courtesy of S.C. Educational Television (SCETV).
Stay tuned … we’re obviously looking for that footage.
Multiple lawmakers tell FITS that Harrell was attempting to sneak the two bills through the legislative process – and past the desk of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley – without anyone noticing.
Unfortunately for him, we’re always watching …
UPDATE: A spokesman for S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson tells FITS his office received “no notification” of either piece of legislation being filed. Typically, constitutional officers will receive a courtesy notification involving legislation that references their responsibilities.
UPDATE II: Here’s the video of Harrell’s machinations.
52 comments
Huffington Post is “national news”? I guess that makes “People”, “TMZ”, etc. national news also. Speaking of TMZ, I hear they have run a story on some former Gamecock football players.
Troll with a multiple personality disorder. Stop posting under different names.
Wrong! Since Mace departed my avatar did also. Sic Willie wants me to join one of his tracking programs to get it back I guess. Sic Willie hates the NSA for snooping but wants you to join a tracking system that snoops. So the real trolls will post under my screen name since they lack the gonads to be honest.
Will must have gotten a jersey from Spurrier or something. Unless I missed it, Culliver and Hamptons arrest was not mentioned. Or the fact that quarrels and Hampton are wanted for questioning for brutally beating a man.
Sammy smokes a little weed and he is crucified.
To which run in with the law by Hampton are you referring? NYC or Columbia?
Bobby just keeps taking it in the ass…
Bless your heart scooter, your comment is absent any facts again …bless your heart.
SC’s finest, give ’em a break. The AG is a crook! SC shitland at it’s finest.
Mr. Attorney General,
Stop this corruption in the SC House of Representatives.
REALLY? You want SC AG Alan Wilson to stop the corruption? REALLY?………….REALLY?………….REALLY?………….
Too funny Elf, The AG is courrupt, LOL.
Can’t we all just admit that South Carolina is corrupt to the core, and nothing can be done about it from within the state?
Well this clearly is not true, Bobby told us he had nothing to do with it. As he has told us many times, he is open, transparent, honest, and just a representative for the people.
EXACTLY!
Trey is so stupid he doesn’t even recognize sarcasm when its right in front of him..you go Simple Trey.
Scooter, write this down …I don’t know Trey. …I say listen to me scooter …listen to me …I say, I say …listen to me scooter ….LISTEN SCOOTER ….I don’t know Trey
BTW, it’s pathetic that you are attacking family members of Harrell, you are a pathetic soul.
From the record:
DOCTOR OF THE DAY
Announcement was made that Dr. Michael Ervin of Lexington was the Doctor of the Day for the General Assembly.
Is Dr. Ervin a proctologist trolling for patients?
Bobby must be really frightened. He’s drowning, flailing his arms, and hoping to grab on anything that could save him.
Really scooter? He doesn’t look frightened to me? I don’t se any drowning or flailing his his arms or hoping for anything ….listen scooter ….I said listen scooter …I say, I say now listen to me scooter …YOU NEED A VACATION!
once again trey keeps defending ..i know you are dumb as bricks but really Trey how obvious is it that a new poster going by anonymous shows up on every Bobby Harrell story and defends him…I knew you about as sharp as a rubber ball but really man try mixing up the names a bit.
Write this down scooter …I don’t know Trey. …I say listen to me scooter …listen to me …I say, I say …listen to me scooter ….LISTEN SCOOTER ….I don’t know Trey
It is more likely Chris Slick and India null Hazzard.
I read the S.C. House Journal, and it clearly labels H. 5072 as A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING
SECTION 14-7-1655 SO AS TO ESTABLISH PROTOCOLS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FOR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS AND CERTAIN OTHER
OFFICERS ALLEGED TO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS OF CHAPTER 13,
TITLE 8 OR ALLEGED TO HAVE COMMITTED AN ACT OF PUBLIC CORRUPTION.
H. 5072 is also clearly labeled as to its intent. So maybe I’m be dense. Is FITS saying that the summaries of the bills were not read aloud in the chamber before action was taken on them?
That is what he is saying. Let’s wait for the video.
The point is that the legislators do not pay attention to almost anything that goes on in the Statehouse unless it affects them directly or somewhat indirectly. They have their minions and staffers watch and monitor situations. This is a case where no one questioned the Speaker and he carefully kept his staffers and others out of the loop therefore everyone else out of the loop, including those staffers that typically understand what is going on in the Statehouse. It was a wink and nod theatrics at their best. His actions rise to the level of misconduct, interfering with an ongoing investigation, etc. .etc. When you get that powerful, you cannot say you have any healthy degree of self-awareness. It is astonishing to say the least.
——– slippier and slimier whale shit.
My takeaway is that if Harrell escapes an indictment by Wilson, then Harrell has won.
And I’ll vote for the dog catcher before helping re-elect Wilson.
Harrell belongs in jail.
And you’ll vote for the dog catcher? BTW, what’s his name? …………………………..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Harrell’s days are numbered, he is history already – and so are his cohorts who are entwined in collusion. Howe and Daniels will fall with him, I am sure of it. The feds will soon be raiding offices and homes, seizing computers and papers. Dozens of SC lawmakers and their friends will be taken away in cuffs.
Hahahahahahahaha,
Yeah
Riiiiiiight!
Hey Bro! take a deep breath, it’s going to be okay. We get it ….day are numbered, he’s history, and his cohorts, collusion, Howe and Daniels, raiding offices, homes, seizing computers, papers, and everybody taken away in handcuffs …HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scooter, take a break man!
When you are dead, nobody will miss you. However, I will visit your grave and piss on it.
It’s more like you’re pissing in the wind, all over yourself.
Wow, Will, if anyone ever doubted how much you hate Bobby Harrell, it is clear now.
You said “the chamber of the House was virtually empty.”
My question is this, “If that’s true, where were the Representatives?” Don’t they know we pay them to be there on time. You blame Harrell for this?!? The fact is the people we pay to represent us should arrive at work on time!
I read your link to the SC House Journal.
The House started at 10:00.
A Reverend said a prayer.
They all said the pledge of allegiance.
Rep. King made a motion that they adjourn in memory of somebody.
Then, 12 different bills and resolutions were read across the desk and dealt with by the House or the speaker BEFORE Crawford’s bills were introduced. All of that had to take at least 15 minutes or so. You want to say Harrell did something sneaky simply because he was presiding… he is always presiding!! Where were our Representatives?? That’s the real question. But, it doesn’t fit your plan of attack.
Harrell isn’t even a co-sponsor of the bills you love to call the “Harrell bills”.
We get it. Either he isn’t willing to pay you or someone is paying you a lot to attack him, and besides, the bottom line is you have always hated the guy.
Is that Eric Cantors’ right eye ball in the picture? What is Will trying to tell us? Is it ‘airbrushed’?
Shut up Bobby.
The Brain Trust of South Carolina has spoken …
Spot on Bro! ….Spot on!
You suck. And so does your mom.
Is that your “A” game scooter? Is that the best you got?
WOW! Bobby looks plastered in that photo.
The only reason this legislation is being pushed – and pushed hard, I might add – is because all of the cockroaches in the statehouse are concerned they will be discovered by Grand Jury subpoenas and testimony; and, thereby eventually be removed from society. Anyone with even half a brain sees right through their bullshit. Harrell is going down. He can try to stop it all he wants. But he is toast – and so are his crony friends who do illegal business with him. Get use to it. They are all going to prison one way or another.
Really scooter? All this prison talk, cockroaches, being removed from society …Wow scooter! You are about to have an internal combustion … bless your heart ….take a deep breath, it’s going to be okay.
Organized Crime
The FBI defines organized crime as any group having some manner of a formalized structure and whose primary objective is to obtain money through illegal activities. Such groups maintain their position through the use of actual or threatened violence, corrupt public officials, graft, or extortion, and generally have a significant impact on the people in their locales, region, or the country as a whole.
Significant Racketeering Activity
The FBI defines significant racketeering activities as those predicate criminal acts that are chargeable under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute. These are found in Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 1961.
Bless your heart, your comment is absent any fact related to this article …bless your heart
Too bad the FBI has no presense in South Carolina. It appears the FBI believes that it did its job in 1990 with Lost Trust and has not done jack crap here since. Therefore, we have Toal, Nettles, Harrell, Leatherman, McConnell, and the Richland County Legislative Delegation all doing as they damn please.
NEUTERING ALAN WILSON IS A GOOD THING …YEAH BABY!
Holy cow, Chris Slick is all over the comment section! This is what his blood feud has been reduced to?
UNACEPTABLE!
He’s stealing our Liberty!
Hundreds of protesters planning to march back and forth in front of Judge Manning’s home if he tosses Harrell’s felonies. Manning will lose every fucking thing he owns, and you better believe it. Harrell will be punished. Manning will be reduced to a nothing.
What felonies? Really scooter? What are you talking about? There haven’t been any protestors. Wishful thinking again, bless your heart, your comment is absent any facts again …bless your heart.