ELEANOR KITZMAN UNLIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS NEW HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL CZARINA
|| By FITSNEWS || S.C. governor Nikki Haley‘s choice to lead the largest agency in state government is unlikely to be confirmed after several state Senators told FITS she lied on multiple questions posed to her.
Eleanor Kitzman – whose nomination to lead the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) was already in trouble – hasn’t received much in the way of support from Haley, but her embattled confirmation process appeared to be trending toward a narrow win in the State Senate.
Until this week …
Senators familiar with the situation tell FITS Kitzman lied about a bad check charge, about her professional standing as an attorney and about political contributions made to Haley, one of her closest confidantes.
One Senator told FITS Kitzman lied to them on “at least ten instances.”
Wow …
Kitzman flatly disputed the allegation that she lied about making improper political contributions, telling Senators she was appointed by the SCDHEC board – not by her longtime “bestie.” However Senators produced a letter from Haley in which the governor explicitly made it clear she (Haley) was appointing Kitzman pending confirmation by the State Senate.
Oops …
Sources close to Kitzman also told FITS the truth about her professional standing was being “misrepresented.” They accused one State Senator – Joel Lourie – of orchestrating a smear campaign in an effort to discredit the governor. In fact they say Lourie leaked information about Kitzman’s untruthful answers to “reporter” Sammy Fretwell at The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper.
Haley’s selection of Kitzman came in the aftermath of former director Catherine Templeton‘s decision to step down from the agency – ostensibly to pursue a campaign against former S.C. governor Mark Sanford in the state’s first congressional district (or to run for governor herself in 2018).
Templeton, who received praise for reforming the troubled bureaucracy, reportedly had a qualified candidate lined up to take her place at the agency – but Haley’s administration chose to go in a different direction. Hmmmm … how hard are they regretting that decision right about now, we wonder?
As regular watchers of The West Wing, we know failed confirmations are “body blows” for an administration. But this would be especially true in Haley’s administration, which has already lost five top appointments due to scandal (Lillian Koller at the S.C. Department of Social Services, Abraham Turner at the S.C. Department of Workforce, Jim Etter at the S.C. Department of Revenue, Robert St. Onge of the S.C. Department of Transportation and Kela Thomas of the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services).
All of which makes the decision to nominate Kitzman in the first place so baffling …
Kitzman lost her job as Texas’ insurance commissioner in 2013 after it became clear the State Senate there was not going to confirm her nomination. Why not? For starters, Kitzman was accused of deliberately withholding information regarding the profit margins of insurance companies in the Lone Star State (after permitting these companies to impose double-digit rate hikes on consumers).
Kitzman’s Texas issues have followed her to South Carolina – where she already had her share of problems. At the heart of those issues? Kitzman’s ongoing proximity to Haley’s personal life – including details of the governor’s past that continue to linger just below the surface of her national ambitions.
Specifically, Kitzman is one of a handful of people in whom Haley confided following the latter’s sexual affair with FITS founding editor Will Folks – which drew to a close in mid-2007. In fact, Kitzman was present at the Liberty Taproom in early February 2007 on the night Folks and Haley began their relationship.
39 comments
It seems to most that her employment history of recent years needs a lot of ‘splainin.
The lack of veracity would go a long way in answering the riddle.
As reported here previously, the plan all along has been for one of Haley’s other Directors to go to DHEC. Kitzman is put up but never voted on and Rick Reames or Bryan Stirling leaves his agency to go to DHEC. Same pattern as when Templeton took over. The fix is already in with Senate leadership.
Is this a “Blazing Saddles” ploy? Put Kitzman up first and anything you then suggest as an alternative looks good by comparison?
“Rick Reames or Bryan Stirling”
What’s up with them? Why are they favored?
“Rick Reames”? “Bryan Sterling”? If nothing else, SC leads the nation in best porn names in their administration…
Maybe they should confirm her — so she won’t ever come back to Texas.
I just want to express my honest opinion here: fuck both those bitches.
Somebody who is close friend of Haley lied? Color me me shocked!
Color me shocked if you can produce a politicians that doesn’t lie often!
I’d be more shocked, if Haley, or one of her appointees, friends, donors told the truth! That would be a rarity.
Come on Governor, weren’t you doing the same thing? Literally? Appalachian Trail?
(Yes, I know this is a spoof account.)
Bounced checks explain why she turns couches/curtains/roadkill into lady wear.
This person is a lawyer? I thought Haley hated lawyers?
Only – ONLY – when she’s running against one.
But, her dimwitted voters buy her dog whistle every time she blows it.
I wuz hoping thair wuz pictures of a 3 way.
Templeton wanted to make the agency smaller. Didn’t go over to well with the cockroaches—- urr powers that be. WOW a politician with financial problems. Who’d a thunk it ???
Wrong. Templeton got canned. What I heard.
I seriously doubt that she was canned.
She may have ruffled some higher feathers though by being in the news more often and often quite favorably.
Looks like she ran for exit door before the shit storm known as the Pinewood Landfill comes to the forefront…
“McElveen, of Sumter, said he’d like to hear from state regulators and from former landfill oversight manager Bill Stephens, who was forced to resign by regulators after alleging that improvements are needed at the 37-year-old dump. The Department of Health and Environmental Control has been reluctant to endorse such improvements, saying more data is needed to justify major upgrades.”
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2015/02/18/3995592_aging-lakeside-landfill-sparks.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Maybe it is the time of day but she looks like she is dressed to take part in one of those
Chic-fil-A commercials
Maybe all the other cows are down at the barn, it is milking time
lied cheated stole
those of us that had the pleasure of her company as Insurance Director
believed she was a practicing cannibal
I keep wishing for the day she permanently returns to Hell
or Texas, whichever is hotter.
The employees of the Budget and Control Board feel EXACTLY the same!
I’m sure however, there is one upstate Senator who is crying in his beer or milk.
I, for one, would like to see more such expressive writing as here, with a little spice and personality showing, and perhaps a flash of bared teeth! “Cannibal,” “Hell,” “Texas” and their like are just not used enough on comment boards.
Elinor “Bloody Bitch” Kitzman was the original Texas Chainsaw massacre, at the B&C Bd., at the South Carolina Dept. of Ins. and the Texas Dept. of Ins.!
The only thing she deserves is a kick in the ass on her way out!
I’ll buy the drinks.
Sorry Senator.:-)
All of you elected Haley now sit back and watch the political toilet overflow with all the shit she and her high school have in store for the next four years morons. I blame the Republican party for not running a legitimate candidate besides Haley.
Amen!
Seems to be a habitual problem with the GOP.
Not running legitimate candidates.
How in the hell could Templeton come up with a ‘qualified’ replacement since she was unqualified to head DHEC herself?
Looks like Liz Tannenbaum in that pic sic keeps posting with his breaking news coverage.
The confirmation hearing is tomorrow, Thursday, I believe. So soon we shall see.
Lying is the norm for all SC lawmakers, is it not? Even lawyers. When two lawyers opposed to each other are before a judge, the judge has to determine which one is lying – and which one is not. This was stated to me when I once was engaged in conversation with a very powerful and well respected SC Judge.
That would be which one is lying less.
“… which one is lying – and which one is not. …”
There is two other alternatives: both may be lying (commonly accepted practice), neither may be lying (rare, but possible). The choice for any reasonable judge should be The Law, not the litigants.
(Does the South Carolina judiciary recognize Malicious Intent and/or Malicious Prosecution? … As applied to lawyers? … As applied to g’ment employees?)
“…
NEW HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL CZARINA.”
I thought Obama fixed the environment already.
Does SC really need another health “care” program on top of Bummercare?
If she wants the endorsement of the national party in 2020, she’ll need to take the Bush/Christie/Romney path — and yes, that’s a path paved with Socialism.
Really, it is “progressive” Fascism = The Big Bad Wolf … any resemblance to socialism is in sheep’s clothing.
Socialsim = One for All and All for One.
“progressive” Fascism = One government for All and All for one government.
“… following the latter’s sexual affair with FITS founding editor Will Folks …”
Got links to that one? Wowsa!
My insurance rates have been flat since we fired this woman in Texas — to make up for the steep hikes before.
She’ll still get the job…..No ONE at the State House has the balls to stand up to Haley.