South Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Catherine Templeton suggested this week that if the Palmetto State’s court system can’t deal with corruption in government – she will.
The Lowcountry labor lawyer – who has repeatedly seized upon the ongoing #ProbeGate scandal as a pretext for ethics reform – responded with incredulity to the news that former state representative Rick Quinn, one of the central figures in the investigation, escaped jail time despite the starring role he played in the scandal.
Quinn and his father, veteran “Republican” strategist Richard Quinn, both now appear to be in the clear related to the probe – which had drawn a bead on their corporate and political empire.
“I’ve fought the Quinns and their crooked ways before and if the justice system can’t take them down for good, I will,” Templeton said in a statement responding to the Quinn verdict. “We need a governor who isn’t part of the corruption to clean it up. As an outsider who can’t be bought, I’ll make sure the corrupt good ol’ boy system pays for what it has robbed from us. It’s time to change the law. Corrupt Columbia is costing us money and the confidence of the people it’s supposed to serve.”
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[/timed-content-server]Templeton’s comment is a clear shot across the bow of incumbent “Republican” governor Henry McMaster – who was joined at the hip with the Quinns’ political consulting empire for decades (and who has also been linked to the investigation). It’s also a reference to Templeton’s prior battle with the Quinns over taxpayer-funded contracts they received from the S.C. Ports Authority (SCPA).
It’s not immediately clear how the long-awaited “Quinntencing” will impact the 2018 gubernatorial race – which welcomed another credible anti-corruption voice this week in the form of Upstate businessman/ military veteran John Warren.
Stay tuned … we’ll be keeping a close eye on the situation to see how everything shakes out …
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