STATE’S TOP PROSECUTOR, LAWMAKER TRADE BARBS OVER CORRUPTION CASE
The war of words has begun …
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office is categorically rejecting S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s claim that Wilson’s office failed to notify Harrell’s attorneys of his surprise decision to refer the powerful legislative leader’s corruption case to a statewide grand jury.
“It is disappointing that the Attorney General notified the press before contacting my attorneys or me about this decision,” Harrell said in a statement.
Wilson’s spokesman Mark Powell flatly rebuked that claim.
“We were on the phone with his lawyer informing them of our decision forty-five minutes before the media release went out,” Powell told FITS.
Harrell is under investigation over numerous issues. For starters, he inappropriately reimbursed himself more than $325,000 from his campaign account for dubious flight-related expenses (Harrell is a pilot). He 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, his political action committee is facing 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.
Funding for this $558 million project has been approved – thanks in no small part to Harrell’s potentially illegal advocacy.
What’s next in the Harrell-Wilson saga?
Who knows …
We’ve been on the phone with our sources all afternoon trying to make heads or tails of Wilson’s surprise decision …
UPDATE: Wilson’s office has just issued the following statement: “This is an ongoing investigation and we cannot comment on the substance of it. We cannot and will not release any SLED report, or any other documents. Moreover, Speaker Harrell’s attorney was notified by phone at least 30 minutes before the media advisory was released. These are the facts, and we will have no further comment.”
12 comments
How many spokesmen/political people does Wilson have. Powell makes two that I know of. Seems a waste of tax money.
Wonder how many days or hours earlier did Powell tell Haley that Wilson was following her orders?
That’s what you deserve, Mr Speaker, for not booting Wilson over his ethics violations in 2010. And I bet you thought he was your nigga after giving him money for his gala inauguration and looking the other way on his ethics violations. You idiot. You had it all too.
Alan Wilson has gotten ambitious. He is traveling the country for the Republican Attorney’s General Association so a big name indictment will help him raise money for his campaigns.
I love to watch Teabaggers fight and feed off themselves.
Wait, you think Nikki and Alan are tea party? Good lord man. (PS. “Teabaggers was funny for like a month in 2009. Sorta old now.)
The Dems use Teapartiers to both rally and scare their ignorants into line.
It’s yet another bogeyman used to control people, just like the war on terrorism or the need to bail out the TBTF banks.
Yea that is getting old. I suggest Teanuts or Teanutarians.
I like “LibsSuckCock” myself.
This affair has nothing to do with Harrell. It has everything to do with Leatherman, Haley and Wilson teaming up to loot the treasury for their benefit. Harrell was just in the way.
Senator Leatherman is behind this. He’s getting older and he knows it. This may be his last “big” session. He needs a compliant house and helpful Governor to ram through he “last big agenda.”
Haley hates Harrell and needs him weakened or gone and will help keep AG Wilson on Harrell’s ass (score one for Leatherman), A new speaker, likely from Leatherman’s Pee Dee region, will be helpful with the I 73 Interstate project other road building in which Leatherman is taking money from other parts of the state and giving to the Florence area and his friends. Also, never forget the new and expensive medical school in Florence which will divert money to the Florence.
A photo of two self serving charlatans, going after another self serving charlatan.
It should be fun to watch. Screw all of them. They all need to go, along with Peeler, Leatherman, Martin, Rankin and the Lexington Rings Cromer…..well, the truth is about 90% of the rest and 99.9% of Congress!
He’s guilty, where’s the rest of the money?