INVESTIGATION ADVANCES
South Carolina’s statewide grand jury will reconvene in August to continue its work on #ProbeGate – an ongoing, multi-jurisdictional investigation into corruption in state government.
We don’t have specific dates yet for these forthcoming proceedings, nor do we know at this point whether fresh indictments will be issued in connection with the latest round of secretive deliberations – which are reportedly scheduled for “sometime next week.”
All we know at this point is that special prosecutor David Pascoe – who recently survived a second attempt force him from the helm of this investigation – will lead the proceedings, as he has done since winning a high-profile S.C. Supreme Court battle last year.
Pascoe’s probe has already resulted in the resignation of powerful S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell and the indictment of three sitting members of the S.C. General Assembly. Recently, it has drawn a bead on the political consulting empire of veteran “Republican” consultant Richard Quinn – which represents a host of powerful politicians and politically connected special interests.
Quinn has yet to be charged in connection with the investigation, but his son – state representative Rick Quinn – is facing a pair of misconduct in office charges. Also, the elder Quinn was mentioned by name in a three-count indictment of sitting State Senator John Courson, who stands accused of participating in a kickback scheme involving the illegal conversion of campaign funds for personal use.
Grand juries in the Palmetto State consist of eighteen people who are selected (or impaneled) for a one-year term. Six additional grand jurors are chosen for two-year terms. These latter six grand jurors are called “carryover jurors,” because they are expected to carry over what they learned from one term to the next – creating some institutional knowledge of the proceedings.
Grand juries – which conduct their proceedings in secret – are empowered to issue subpoenas for the production of evidence and to receive sworn testimony from confidential informants. At that point, they must decide to “true bill” charges put before them (i.e. indict on the basis of the evidence), “no bill” those charges (i.e. decline to indict) or delay action in anticipation of further evidence or testimony being submitted.
Stay tuned … we’ll be sure to pass along any further information we receive regarding the dates of this month’s grand jury deliberations as well as any information we can obtain regarding who is being called to testify.
It’s clear, though, that after a brief summer respite #ProbeGate is once again heating up …
UPDATE …
South Carolina’s corporate chieftains, bigwig bureaucrats have been summoned …
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