CHIP LIMEHOUSE’S DIRTY LAUNDRY LIKELY TO STAY SECRET …
Earlier this year we reported on S.C. Rep. Chip Limehouse‘s brief flirtation with a political comeback.
Last September, the veteran fiscal liberal announced his intention to resign the S.C. House seat he has held since 1995 … although sources familiar with his thinking indicated he wasn’t 100 percent sold on that decision.
Limehouse ultimately decided against filing for reelection … which was probably for the best.
How come? Well, the wealthy, well-connected Lowcountry lawmaker just got served by his wife, Susan Limehouse, with what we’re reliably informed is an extensive and tremendously entertaining divorce filing (on grounds of adultery).
Will we ever be able to read this pleading? It’s doubtful …
Within 24 hours of the case being filed, a motion was made to seal Limehouse’s file – meaning his dirty laundry will more than likely be kept hidden from public view.
Sound fair? Of course not …
Unfortunately, the sealing of divorce records for prominent politicos has become routine in South Carolina … yet another example of the preferential treatment received by those in power in the Palmetto State.
Here’s how it works: If you screw up … everybody gets to read about it. If a powerful lawmaker screws up? Their dirty details are kept under lock and key … zealously guarded by the judges they appoint.
Two years ago, for example, we reported on the sealing of a divorce file involving S.C. governor Nikki Haley‘s longtime political advisor Tim Pearson. Why were those document sealed? Good question … although we know Haley has been listed as the “other woman” in at least one other divorce action.
(Pearson’s divorce file remains under seal in Richland County, S.C., incidentally).
Oh well … we don’t want to imagine (let alone read about) Limehouse’s alleged extracurriculars. Nor do we have any expectation that there is something contained in his wife’s divorce pleading that might rise to the level of anything we (or other media outlets) would ordinarily publish.
After all, our view on the romantic liaisons of elected officials and other powerful politicos is generally quite simple: Unless laws are being broken, tax money is being wasted or power is being abused (or unless there is some other mitigating circumstance beyond basic carnal lust) … we really don’t care about extramarital dalliances.
But the fact a motion was made to seal this case is something we cannot ignore …
We’ve read dozens of high-profile, unsealed divorce cases in this state – and almost always we conclude, upon leafing through the pages, that the material contained therein does not rise to the level of something worth publishing.
Hell, we get details of alleged affairs leaked to us all the time … and rarely find them worth reporting on.
But when motions are made (or granted) to seal files? That’s when our ears perk up …
Worth noting? Despite his impending departure from the S.C. House, Limehouse still reportedly fancies himself as a future governor or U.S. congressman. Perhaps that’s what is motivating this request …
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