BOMBSHELL BREAKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC CORRUPTION PROBE
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has recused himself from a public corruption investigation into powerful S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
The case will now be handled by South Carolina first circuit solicitor David M. Pascoe.
The switch in prosecutors was announced by Harrell at this week’s gathering of the S.C. House Republican Caucus in Myrtle Beach, S.C.. Harrell also informed House members that Wilson’s grand jury had expired on June 30, more than six weeks ago.
“My attorneys recently were informed that I am no longer the subject of a state Grand Jury investigation,” Harrell said in a statement. “The state Grand Jury expired June 30th and there is no longer any state Grand Jury investigation of me.”
Harrell added that “I have said from the beginning that I violated no law and have only sought an independent prosecutor free of political motives and influence. I hope these events accomplish that.”
Sources close to the Speaker tell FITS the recusal was requested by the Attorney General, who informed Harrell ten days ago that he “had a conflict and didn’t want to have a hearing” on whether he could continue to investigate the case.
“He had already handed off (the case) before we were informed,” the source added, saying that the choice of Pascoe – who represents Dorchester, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties – was made by Wilson’s prosecutors.
“They recommended Pascoe because that is who gets the majority of cases that the AG can’t handle,” the source said.
Wow ..
Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.
“We are unable to comment because the Supreme Court order directs that we are not to disclose these matters,” Wilson spokesman Mark Powell told FITS.
Wait … we?
Is that “we” as in the Attorney General’s office and the Solicitor’s Office? Or “we” as in the Attorney General’s office and the feds?
Hmmmm …
The high-profile battle between Wilson and Harrell has been one of the biggest political soap operas of the year – dominating headlines for months ever since Wilson referred the case to the statewide grand jury back in January. In May, an ethically compromised circuit court judge ruled that Wilson must shut down his probe and let a corrupt panel of S.C. House members handle the investigation (the same legislative panel that whitewashed S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley‘s ethics scandal two years ago).
Wilson has joined a chorus of critics of this corrupt self-policing mechanism.
“There is absolutely no way this case will get a fair hearing in the S.C. House of Representatives,” he told FITS months ago.
In July, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled that Wilson’s office had the authority to investigate Harrell – although it did refer the question of whether Wilson could remain on the case back to the lower court. Three weeks ago, FITS published this report speculating that the lower court was likely to remove Wilson from the case.
Harrell has been accused of a wide range of allegations. In September 2012, he was busted improperly reimbursing himself from his campaign account for dubious flight-related expenses (Harrell is a pilot). How much? More than $325,000.
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. Additionally, Harrell’s political action committee is under scrutiny for allegedly misappropriating and misreporting funds – including an effort to force taxpayers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars on an unnecessary transportation project.
He hasn’t exactly responded like an innocent man, either – assassinating the character of one of the reporters who investigated ham, strong-arming her newspaper into backing down (by allegedly threatening to withhold an annual bribe the paper receives from the S.C. General Assembly), launching a smear campaign against Wilson and attempting to strip Wilson’s office of its power legislatively.
In May, Wilson told FITS “there are quite a few avenues we can use to effectuate justice” related to the Harrell case.
“There are plenty of tools in the toolbox and we are going to use every single one at our disposal,” he said. “All options are on the table.”
Multiple state and federal law enforcement sources tell FITS there has been close coordination on the Harrell case between Wilson’s office and federal prosecutors.
In fact in announcing an unrelated bust earlier this year, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles spoke of the “unprecedented level of cooperation with state and federal agencies in routing out public corruption and returning public trust to the people.”
Of course our faith in the federal government lifting a finger to effectuate justice in South Carolina is nonexistent in the wake of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to investigate the “Richland County Robbery,” perhaps the most glaring example of election fraud we’ve ever seen.
65 comments
Just an fyi, Trey Harrell worked for Pascoe in the Solicitor’s office fairly recently
Well thar she blows!
Thank you for that bit of information.
South Carolina: Famously Corrupt.
Pascoe is not going to do anything anyway, what does it matter.
You can’t make this stuff up! LMAO!!!!! :-)
Its cuckoo, I know. But this will just really make voters even more aware of the level of corruption. Hope they don’t come out wanting to physically go after Harrell. But at this rate? No telling.
Scooter, it’s over….move on ….your boy cowardly quit.
Makes perfect sense. Why let a judge recuse him, when he can do it himself?
i guess he has something to hide for himself, Haley, daddy Joe, Frazier or one of his other neighbors and associates. He lives right up the street in our neighborhood, thought I saw a for sale sign in his yard!
Nope.
Yes-sir-ee
“Brad Wright said, Wilson pounded his desk and angrily told Wright to take a verbal message to Harrell. The message was that Harrell had better support the formation of a Public Integrity Unit in an ethics bill under consideration in the House at the time.”…”Wright said Wilson also told him he “had friends with deep pockets who could make this an issue if he had to”…
Blah …Blah …Blah ……..Sucks for you being wrong all the time.
“As Supreme Court Justices clearly pointed out at the hearing, the Attorney General has improperly handled this case from the beginning. ..As the Circuit Court ruling stated, after more than a year of investigations the Attorney General was still pursuing this case even though he could not point to a single shred of evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Clearly the Attorney General’s motivations have been corrupted by political motives and that is why he needs to be replaced with a fair and impartial prosecutor.”
“Judge Manning is now expected to decide in the near future whether Wilson has a conflict of interest in the case. During a March hearing, both sides laid out their arguments. Just two witnesses testified, Harrell chief of staff Brad Wright and Wilson. Wright said that Wilson wanted him to convey a threat to the speaker during a one-on-one meeting with the attorney general over a piece of legislation.”
“For Harrell, his chief of staff, Brad Wright, took the stand and told of an April 2013 confidential meeting between him and Wilson during which, Wright said, Wilson pounded his desk and angrily told Wright to take a verbal message to Harrell. The message was that Harrell had better support the formation of a Public Integrity Unit in an ethics bill under consideration in the House at the time.”
“Wright said Wilson also told him he “had friends with deep pockets who could make this an issue if he had to” – a statement that Wright said he understood as a threat. Wright said he left the meeting so shaken he talked to fellow lawyers at the time and wrote a memo about it.”
i saw the FOR SALE also, hmmm….time to move out…..
And so it begins………
could be a hidden ‘land mine’ (or 2 or 3) out there somewhere….
While this case is of interest, FITS has so polluted his coverage of it, with personal hatred and bias, anything you read here is not worth digesting.
Not to mention, if there is something wrong w/ crooks holding political office, why is FITS working to elect the Felonious Punk from Edisto?
Well, Texas Governot Rick Perry was indicted by a Texas grand jury; so there’s hope that either the Feds or the State will indict Harrell.
Wishful thinking Scooter, the State dropped its “tool box” and spilled all of its tools …uh …uh… were’d my hammer go? …..uh uh uh ….I can’t find my saw ….uh uh uh ….have you seen my socket wrench? …..can I borrow your screw driver …uh …..uh…..I can’t find my Grand Jury Case ….uh…uh….don’t tell anyone….
And that is that!
ReElect Alan Wilson!
“ReElect Alan Wilson!”
Uggh!
If you see Bobby Harrell out in public, go right up to him … flip the bird right in his fucked up ugly pitted fat face.
THE STATE NEWSPAPER
“For Harrell, his chief of staff, Brad Wright, took the stand and told of an April 2013 confidential meeting between him and Wilson during which, Wright said, Wilson pounded his desk and angrily told Wright to take a verbal message to Harrell. The message was that Harrell had better support the formation of a Public Integrity Unit in an ethics bill under consideration in the House at the time.”
“Wright said Wilson also told him he “had friends with deep pockets who could make this an issue if he had to” – a statement that Wright said he understood as a threat. Wright said he left the meeting so shaken he talked to fellow lawyers at the time and wrote a memo about it.”
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
AG ALAN WILSON NOWHERE TO BE FOUND?
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
“Wilson’s office declined to comment on the Speaker’s statement.”
AW! ….AW! ….AW! ….AW! ….AW! ….AW! ….uh…uh…uh…….uh…uh…uh…….uh…uh…uh…
…uh…uh…uh…….uh…uh…uh…….uh…uh…uh…
What do you want me to say BOSS? ….uh…uh….I lost my Grand Jury Case …uh …uh…uh…………
I wonder who was involved in this nefarious deal?
Hmmmm? i wonder:
Toal?
Cong. Wilson?
Hugh leatherman?
Brian White?
Jay Lucus?
Larry Martin?
Numerous Dems.?
Harvey Peeler?
Bob Peeler?
Danny Frazier?
Nikki Haley?
The Republicans could not afford this negative press and division?
The Democrats supported Harrell and wanted their benefits from Harrell to continue?
Oh how wonderful it would be to wake up one day and learn that every name on your list had been tried, convicted, and would be wearing orange for years to come! Additional deserving names could be added to your list as needed.
Scooter, your boy Wilson has left the building six weeks ago, not only that, but he didn’t tell anyone. ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha….he’s acting a lot like Sanfraud did, left the United States to go five thousand miles away to Argentina, and didn’t tell anyone …Wilson dropped the Grand Jury investigation and his “tool box” and all his tools and slithered off …..I’d say Wilson has some answering to do.
uh….uh…..uh. BOSS, uh, …I lost my Grand Jury case …uh…uh…but don’t tell anyone…..okay? ….don’t tell anyone, I mean it, don’t tell anyone ….uh ….uh …uh…okay?……
Federal prosecutors are the only hope for SC.
Yeah, after Holder is gone. Need integrity in the DOJ before we can trust them.
“Need integrity in the DOJ before we can trust them.”
Probably will never happen.
That Neck Area “upgrade” has a wide noose…….
….it has been around the Harrell “goonies” for some time…….
Expired Grand Jury? Does this mean there is no indictment or there is a Sealed Indictment? Can the prosecutor proceed without a Grand Jury indictment?
Indictments are not required to make arrest. But I still smell a foul odor in this. Harrell has clearly committed felonies. But they have been cutting deals to keep him out of prison. This can not be allowed. Wilson and Harrell both have destroyed themselves. They can both forget about being in elected position for sure, now. The entire state will boil over in anger by the middle of next week.
Harrell will be EASILY Re Elected .
His House District will NEVER elect a Democrat.
You’re right. What is sad is that so many would rather elect a known crook with their sacred party label on him (or her) than to elect someone of another party. Yeah, I get it. The other party (pick your adversary, either R or D) is against most of what you stand for, but we really need to start looking at how bad or good each candidate is as a person. I would gladly see a Democrat go in to replace a known crook. Even if that “D” was not my ideal candidate, I could look forward to replacing them in four (or six) years, once the death grip the old crook from my party had on a given office had finally been broken.
“The entire state will boil over in anger by the middle of next week.”
Nah. 99% of the state doesn’t know who either of these guys are.
Yeah … Nobody watches tv news nor even bothers to read the news papers. Nobody listens to talk radio or any radio in their autos, either.
I like that but isn’t Wilson running unopposed this time? Damn I get so tired of this shit, time, after time, after time. Either a choice between a turd and a piece of shit or just plain old no choice at all.
***CONCLUSION****
FOR THE FOREGOING REASONS, WE REVERSE AND “REMAND” THIS CASE TO THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR A DECISION ON WHETHER THE ATTORNEY GENERAL “SHOULD” BE DISQUALIFIED FROM PARTICIPATING IN THESE GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS.
TOAL, PLEICONES, BEATTY, KITTREDGE, AND HEARN, CONCUR.
Rumor coming out of Myrtle Beach. The caretakers of the retreat where the House Republican Caucus had it’s meeting. Custodians are rumored to have said, prior to the meetings they saw several men going through rooms with small hand held equipment, looking under beds, pulling out desk drawers, checking air conditioner vents, etc.
Looking for bugging equipment?
……so where is the iphone video on VINE or TOUT…?
Trey Harrell worked in the solicitor’s office, directly for Pascoe. AG Wilson has a conflict but somehow Pascoe doesn’t. Funny how that works.
This is SC. The faintest hint of ethics in politics is hilarious!
“Sources close to the Speaker tell FITS the recusal was requested by the Attorney General, who informed Harrell ten days ago that he ‘had a conflict'”
He just now noticed a conflict? I thought Harrell had been trying to get him off the case the whole time and Wilson was trying to stay on it. Now Wilson takes himself off and Harrell’s complaining that he didn’t get notice?
This doesn’t make sense.
The fact that Harrell didn’t get Notice is a BIG DEAL, what AG Wilson is doing IS misleading and deceptive. Isn’t that what an AG should do? Protect and serve the citizens of SC from deceptive and abusive practices? From this point forward, it would be very difficult to trust AG Wilson on any legal matter. basically, he has admitted that what he has done is unethical, unprofessional, and unbecoming of an Attorney General. It is very sad when the very man that has been elected to protect the citizenry of South Carolina has betrayed our trust, quite frankly, he should resign. NEXT………………………………………………………NEXT…………………………………………………….NEXT………………………………………………………
Ok. Here is the deal. Halloween is coming up, right? And everybody knows where Harrell lives and where all of his other properties are at, right? And everybody knows where he likes to eat and dine, right? And everybody knows where his friends live that entertain, right?
TRICK OR TREAT? Show up at his house.
Scooter, Halloween is at the end of October, maybe by then Wilson will inform the public that he has dropped the Grand Jury case against Harrell.
Wait Scooter! ….Wilson dropped the case on June 30th, that was six weeks ago, it’s starting to look like Halloween already over at the AG’s office, it’s getting pretty scary out there…..BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go by small boat at night right to his small dock. ROFLMAO!
Even his next door neighbors do not like him. They say they’ve seen him driving after drinking booze on his back porch.
MAJOR VICTORY FOR SPEAKER BOBBY HARRELL – AG ALAN WILSON RECEIVES BAD LEGAL ADVICE FROM POLITICAL CRONY LAW FIRMS – WILSON WASTES $$$MILLIONS$$$ OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON FRIVOLOUS PROSECUTION OF HARRELL
A long-running and contentious criminal ethics grand jury probe into S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell has ended as the state’s top prosecutor removed himself from the case and the state grand jury is no longer investigation
Bobby Harrell stated: “My attorneys recently were infor – med that I am no longer the subject of a state Grand Jury investigation,” “The state Grand Jury expired June 30th and there is no longer any state Grand Jury investigation of me.”
“I said from the beginning I just wanted somebody to look at this who was independent and didn’t have political motives,” he said. “And I hope this accomplishes that.”
Attorney General Alan Wilson removed himself from the case more than a month ago but Harrell’s attorneys were not notified until July 29, Harrell said.
The Charleston Republican had long maintained his innocence and said the investigation was politically motivated.
At Wilson’s direction, any further investigation in the case, if necessary, has been assigned to 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe. Mark Powell, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office, said, “We are unable to comment”…The surprising turn of events ends weeks of speculation about where the case was headed next, and it hands a major victory to the embattled Speaker Bobby Harrell.
Wilson had publicly expressed confidence in the probe. In court, Wilson’s deputies said that Harrell’s conduct rose to the level of public corruption, the standard for launching a state grand jury investigation. They often pointed to an extensive 10-month state police investigation as the reason for launching the state grand jury probe.
When Harrell’s attorneys won a victory in May by successfully arguing that the case should be tried first in front of the House Ethics Committee,
Circuit Judge Casey Manning was expected to decide whether Wilson had a conflict of interest in the case and should be removed as prosecutor. Because Wilson apparently removed himself from the case soon after the state Supreme Court’s decision was handed down…
Harrell was never asked to step aside and no one publicly raised the issue. In an interview in March, Harrell said he would continue to fight the allegations and the investigation. “It is incredibly important to me to make sure everybody knows that my family’s reputation that has been earned over generations should be as good as it’s always been,” he said. At Saturday’s GOP meeting of lawmakers, several came toHarrell’s defense.
“We’re happy that after two years it appears that the end of all this is in sight,” said House Majority Leader Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville.
Bannister doubted a House Ethics investigation of Harrell would be mounted either. “The reason is, they know there is not a real issue there.” Added Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Charleston, “Nobody would wish what Bobby and his family went through onanybody.”
Greg Foster, a spokesman for Speaker Bobby Harrell, said in a statement issued today that while the developments happened MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, AG Alan Wilson’s office only recently told Harrell’s attorneys.
AG ALAN WILSON MISLED THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
“It is important for everyone to understand that we did not know about these events until about a month after they occurred. The Attorney General’s office notified us of his decisions on July 29 during a call between my attorney and a representative of the Attorney General,” Harrell said.
“A grand jury investigation into alleged ethics violations against House Speaker Bobby Harrell is over, Harrell confirmed in a statement issued Saturday morning.”
People get the government they deserve.
Harrell, Nikki, ethics, SC ?
Saw it @twitter. Protest mobs to show up at Harrell’s Charleston Office and home. Not sure what day.
Wilson has sold out and lost my support.
I’ll vote for whoever is running against him in November, even if it’s an LGBT queen transvestite negroid democrat yankee liberal pinko flag-burning dog catcher.
And I’ll get all my friends to do the same.
Fuck Wilson.
Feds hovering over this.
That has to be the case here because everyone knows Harrell’s conduct and the evidence that we all thus far know about nails it down, that he committed criminal acts. No one acts like he has that is not guilty. His conduct has been a classic example of one trying to escape punishment – and prison.
If people dont see or care how corrupt their political leaders have become they deserve to be taken advantage of. Wilson and Harrell are both douche bags and dont forget how much Haley has screwed the people of this state. Its time to clean house this November or just get voting for the same old idiots. I think thats the definition of insanity.
If they are all douche bags, who is the douche bag leader?
I would say that Wilson is the leader this week.
I surprised that you didn’t throw in Sanfraud and T-RAV “Just Sharing” Ravenel on the pile.
What about that kilo of cocaine you have there? oh …uh…uh…I’m just sharing that with my friends ….you see, I get a quantity discount …it’s cheaper that way, just like Costco ….
Its a great day in south carolina to be pieces of shit as your current leaders.
There is a great disturbance in the force. Something large is brewing. Harrell has been assured this is the end of the matter. But that’s not what is going on. Another Operation Lost Trust? Nettles goes down with it? Toal, too? Be patient, grasshoppers. Be patient.
More details would be awesome, please keep us posted.
Indeed. And Harrell is trying EVERYTHING to get SOMEBODY in prosecution to screw up.
Wilson reminds me of John Mitchell and John Dean — part of the coverup.
And the FBI and Dept. of Justice will not assist.
Fuck Wilson.
Everybody in South Carolina mostly knows there is just too much to let Harrell off the hook so easily. The Feds would want to bring down the entire white collar crime ring. They are not always so quick to act until they know they have everyone pegged. Then they execute numerous search warrants, arrest warrants, you name it. We have all seen it. The Feds are like a SWAT team when they move in on the corrupt political thugs.
With Nettles being in the ring with Harrell’s friends, likely he and federal agents assigned to SC are all being kept in the dark.
Atty Gen Wilson would be committing suicide to be a part of letting Harrell get away. His own integrity and trustworthiness is now on the line. The people of South Carolina will not be so forgiving. They fully expect Harrell to be sent to prison.
Either Wilson has stepped over to the dark side, or federal agents are snooping around. After all, Harrell would get more time for federal criminal violations. You don’t often see state politicians being sentenced to state prisons. They are most always prosecuted in federal courts.
Hopefully, the Feds are somewhere with the Medicaid fraud issue since the State is too corrupt to do anything with this guy…