NEW “ETHICS” RULING QUESTIONED …
Earlier this week we weighed in on a controversial opinion issued by the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC) – one that effectively gives politicians in the Palmetto State a blank check to pay themselves, their relatives and their own companies out of money raised from donors.
Our view? The advisory opinion opens a dangerous loophole – permitting special interests to exert expanded control over our state’s purchasable politicians.
“It is an invitation for additional self-dealing … a way for the state’s liberal monied elite to exert even greater influence over policymakers,” we noted.
That’s a bad thing … and goes against our repeated calls for tougher laws and penalties against political self-dealing.
But where did this ruling come from? And what was its real purpose?
According to our sources, the commission’s opinion is the latest attempt by corrupt S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson to interfere in an ongoing investigation and provide political cover for his neo-Confederate allies.
Readers will recall that back in December – months before Wilson began actively obstructing an anti-corruption probe – this website exclusively reported on his efforts to try and narrow the scope of that investigation.
Specifically, his office wrote a lengthy opinion arguing it was perfectly legal for S.C. House majority leaders to “hire and pay a business in which the majority leader has an economic interest.”
Wilson also concluded that it was legal for other members of the S.C. General Assembly to “pay for campaign services performed by a business in which the Member or a member of the Member’s family has an economic interest.”
Sound familiar? It should … this is what the new SCSEC opinion affirmed, almost verbatim.
The new SCSEC opinion was authored by Michael Burchstead – a veteran political operative who currently serves as the agency’s general counsel.
Burchstead took his position with the SCSEC in April of 2015.
Where did he work before that? You guessed it … Wilson’s office.
In fact, Burchstead spent three-and-a-half years as an assistant attorney general under Wilson. Prior to that he spent three-and-a-half years at Willoughby and Hoefer, the law firm that employed Wilson during his 2010 bid for attorney general.
Pretty cozy, huh?
Yes. Far too cozy, if you ask us.
This website has written extensively about the incestuous nature of political “self-policing” in South Carolina. As we’ve repeatedly documented, powerful politicians in the Palmetto State make their own rules – and recent “ethics reforms” have done absolutely nothing to correct this problem.
We expect such insider whitewashing from the corrupt legislative “ethics” committees – but to see the ostensibly “independent” SCSEC being manipulated for political purposes?
That’s very disturbing …
It also calls into question whether Wilson and S.C. lieutenant governor Henry McMaster – who is also affiliated with the attorney general’s neo-Confederate friends – received lenient treatment from this agency during their own campaign finance scandals (here and here).
To be clear: We’ve always liked Burchstead and his wife, Megan Burchstead (who is currently employed by the attorney general’s office). And we’re not sure he knew exactly how his opinion would be perceived when he issued it.
He should have known, though.
In addition to the dangerous new loophole created by this opinion, there are some disturbing fingerprints on it – reminding us once again of how hard it has become in this state to hold politicians accountable for their bad behavior.
Real ethics reform means total disclosure. It means tough laws and real penalties against self-dealing. And it means having an independent commission enforcing these tough laws and imposing these penalties free from political interference.
Until that happens, politicians in South Carolina will remain above the law.