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by WILL FOLKS
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Embattled South Carolina state senator Matt Leber is facing fresh scrutiny in the aftermath of affair allegations leveled against him earlier this month by his wife, Charleston County school board trustee Michele Leber.
Two weeks ago, Michele Leber publicly accused her husband of having an extramarital affair with political consultant Rebecca Madsen – who has been linked to the Palmetto State’s über-liberal, über-wealthy trial lawyer lobby. Michele Leber referred to Madsen as her husband’s “whore” – and claimed there were others with whom she was engaging in extramarital liaisons.
“There are more married men,” she publicly alleged, referencing Madsen. “She has had multiple affairs and likely blackmail on others. Divorces coming!”
Madsen’s estranged husband, Rob Madsen, echoed the allegations against his wife in a comment left on social media.
“Rebecca and I are in the middle of a divorce brought on by these types of issues,” he wrote on Facebook.
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Sources familiar with a report prepared by Rob Madsen’s private investigator indicated some of the alleged “issues” include extramarital relationships involving his wife and other South Carolina government officials.
Matt Leber has paid Rebecca Madsen approximately $4,750 from his campaign account since December of 2023 for various itemized services including “political consulting” and “campaign labor.” He has insisted Madsen was “compensated for her work in accordance with standard campaign practices and in full compliance with South Carolina Senate ethics guidelines.”
According to our sources, Leber’s explanation has failed to quell the interest of investigators who are currently conducting a “multi-agency review” of issues tied to his campaign finance account – which was nearly $8,000 in the red according to his latest public filing.
Leber’s latest headache involves the use of government-funded transportation to ferry Madsen and another woman with whom he is alleged to have been romantically involved. According to sources familiar with the situation, Leber and a party of several individuals (including not one but two alleged mistresses) were transported to the governor’s mansion following Henry McMaster‘s ‘State of the State’ address on January 29, 2025 in a vehicle earmarked for use by S.C. Senate finance chairman Harvey Peeler.
The vehicle in question – a Chevrolet Tahoe – is one of many such vehicles maintained and operated by the S.C. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office.
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Michele Leber – who frequently traveled with her husband to Columbia – was not in attendance on this particular evening. Nor, for that matter, was senator Peeler a member of the Leber party.
After the gathering at the governor’s mansion, the Senate Tahoe reportedly transported the party to a Columbia, S.C. apartment where Leber and his friends partied until the early hours of the morning.
Two sources who attended the event accused Leber of having sex with one of the party-goers behind closed doors inside the apartment.
“I heard noises,” one stated, referring to alleged activity transpiring in Leber’s bedroom. “I heard sexual noises.”
Both Leber and the woman accused of the extramarital tryst denied the allegation.
The following morning, however, Leber sent a text message to one of the party-goers appearing to invoke a variation of the time-honored “bros before hoes” maxim.
“Lots of fun last night,” Leber wrote in the message. “No one did anything wrong at all but best to not talk about us all crashing in little apartment to ANYONE… feel me bro?”
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Questioned about the gathering, Leber professed innocence on all fronts – stating he and the woman “have only always been friends.”
“We have never had any other kind of relationship,” he said. “These unfounded claims are without merit and serve only to distract from the truth of a pleasant and uneventful gathering among friends that took place over eight months ago.”
According to Leber, his entourage enjoyed a “cordial and respectful” evening – one which “concluded with coffee and engaging conversations reminiscing about our shared interest in politics.”
“Our close-knit group of longtime Charleston friends and political volunteers shared an evening together enjoying all the events surrounding the State of the State address,” Leber said in a statement provided to FITSNews. “To ensure safe and lawful travel, some friends chose to holdover at my apartment until they felt safe to drive.”
Asked about the use of government-funded vehicles to transport his alleged mistresses, Leber maintained he broke no rules.
“All use of government vehicles was fully compliant with ethical standards and policy guidelines,” Leber said.
Is that accurate, though? Several sources familiar with Senate policy stated these vehicles are made available to members, staff and spouses when traveling on official business – but use beyond those strict parameters is prohibited. However, they quickly pointed out lawmakers routinely abuse this taxpayer-funded privilege because “no one ever tells them ‘no.'”
Specifically, officers who report to the Sergeant-at-Arms are afraid of upsetting powerful lawmakers by declining their vehicular directives.
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“If a member asked a sergeant to transport multiple additional people, that would put the sergeant in a difficult spot because he wouldn’t want to tell the member no,” one source told us.
That’s not the only reason, though. According to our sources, the controversy over Leber’s frequent use of government-funded transportation has sparked scrutiny of an alleged sex scandal within the Sergeant-at-Arms office itself.
“Let’s just say there’s a very good reason for that office to look the other way,” a source familiar with the situation told FITSNews.
Seriously… is there anyone in this “Republican-controlled” government going home to their spouse at night?
According to Leber, the allegations against him are not only false – he insists they are being ginned up by a pair of political operatives with ties to former S.C. senator Sandy Senn, whom he defeated in the 2024 GOP primary election.
Senn flatly denied Leber’s allegation.
“How could I possibly be involved with his fourth wife now leaving him?” she said. “I have stayed totally out of all of that drama. I knew that he was going to implode because he’s got a long history of it. I just didn’t think it would be his first year in office.”
As for the allegation which launched this entire saga, Leber said he could not provide a comment.
“On the advice of my legal counsel, I am unable to comment on the allegations made by my spouse regarding Rebecca Madsen at this time,” he said. “I will not be commenting further on any more tabloid sensationalism and piling on by anyone.”
Prior to being outed, Matt Leber consistently touted himself as a “family values” Republican.
“Family is the bedrock of our society and therefor a natural target for the radical left,” Leber wrote on his campaign page, accompanied by a picture of himself surrounded by children.
Leber further claimed to “have stood for traditional values” and vowed to “continue to safeguard the sanctity of the family.”
FITSNews is continuing to track the fallout from Leber’s scandal (here and here) – investigating whether any other elected or appointed officials are involved and whether certain special interests may have facilitated those liaisons.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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24 comments
Okay, I get it. The problem here is not that Matt Leber apparently can’t keep his dick in his pants. The problem is that the good Senator, a defender of “traditional values” and the “sanctity of the family” has become an innocent victim of the “radical left”, “tabloid sensationalism,” and “”piling on.”
I liked how attorney Sandy Sinn knowingly and willfully lied in her campaign ads when she was challenged.
She is a doctor Jekyll mister Hyde type. Records that go way back are interesting, to say the least. ?
Any person, especially an elected public official, is responsible for his or her own personal morality and conduct. “ Whataboutisms” do not offer an excuse or a justification. Sandy Senn is no longer a state Senator. Matt Leber is. Maybe the Republican Party should cast a wider net or seeks higher standards for their political candidates.
Smells like the communist left is working in the shadows. Certainly, all the skeletons in Senn’s closet, not difficult to expose anymore.
The story is that the old Wade Hampton, across the street from the S.C. State House had rooms “permanently reserved” for the paramours, concubines, mistresses and just plain old bimbos that our state representatives were “associated” with. There was another place down Assembly where they took or met “ladies of the evening” (plain old hookers weren’t welcome in the Hampton). This is nothing new – however, if they’re stupid enough to get caught, they’re too stupid to be effective politicians. That moniker probably fits 90% of both sides of the aisle in SC.
Leber has his “Take the Oath PAC”. Maybe he should have thought about that marriage oath he took… Waiting for more names to come out
How can Senate Sergeant-at-Arms deny transporting when he is having affair with Senate President’s staffer?
Martha, spill some more of that tea, girl! We need the ‘deets!
This can’t be a real account. The real Martha retired like 3 years ago and never was this low class. Must be a troll messing with y’all.
When it is 100% true it is not low class! The only low class people are the low life people that work there and use the unlimited tax payer piggy bank for their extra marital affairs and luxurious trips. Residents of SC have no clue what goes on up there.
It takes some special kind of stupid to believe everything some anonymous troll says online. Not sure you understand the concept of “truth.”
But is it true? ? I’m impressed by how much you trust trolls. Might one sell you some swamp land in Gaffney? Or is that too high end? I’m sure there’s some available in Red Bank.
Roger,
You obviously are clueless! What Martha or whoever posted that comment said is 100% true. Go pull some divorce records and connect the dots. There is a plethora of evidence that backs Martha’s comment up. Maybe the people with the evidence are protecting the humiliation that could come to innocent family members. Driving lovers around and creating jobs for them is not ok! You can talk about swamp land all you want. You must be in the inner bubble that very well could burst soon.
I’ll be adding that quip to my yuge arsenal. Thans!
Remember the eyes wide shut statues in downtown greenville.
I have long believed that this level of moral character is indicative of people that run for high profile office, with rare exception. We allow ourselves to be governed by hedonists because they look polished and have a smooth tongue. I used to be foolish enough to think that only the leftist politicians were immoral, and that “Christian” conservatives were the people’s line of defense against it. I now know better, and I see little hope of improvement this side of Christ’s return.
We are missing so much in our walks…we might want to share these Scriptures with our unbalanced brothers and sisters in our government:
“We are on our guard, in intending that no one should find anything for which to blame us in regard to our administration of this large contribution. For we take thought before hand and aim to be honest and absolutely above suspicion, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.”
2 Corinthians 8:20-21 Amp
Here, Paul was writing to the Corinth churches about money they raised in Macedonia reminding them to always be above board, to remember their positions were a gift from God (no one can earn it), to be transparent, and to walk in alignment and testimony to God the Father.
Will and Nikki made noises on her desk in the state house, too.
FitsNews has turned into a part time tabloid.
Senator, do yourself and your constituents a real favor– resign. We need people who are truly interested in representing us, not jerks with uncontrolled sexual desires. Some Republican, you are.
Fits has been posting illegally obtained phone messages. Leber’s wife has destroyed herself.
Matt has the upper hand as arrest warrants are now in the air. Rumors have it out of the general assembly that litigation against Will Folks is even coming.
Just as info they can see your IP address, and will out your identity if you imply they may get sued even if you are “anonymous”
Leber Matt will have all of your information and internet records subpoenaed.
My husband worked at a Cola restaurant and they were instructed to never address the women with senators. Didn’t want them messing up and calling the mistress by the wife’s name????
I liked how attorney Sandy Sinn knowingly and willfully lied in her campaign ads when she was challenged.
She is a doctor Jekyll mister Hyde type. Records that go way back are interesting, to say the least. ?