In Studio: Attorney General Candidate David Pascoe

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by WILL FOLKS

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Last week, South Carolina first circuit solicitor David Pascoe officially launched his candidacy for attorney general of the Palmetto State – an announcement he followed with the unveiling of an aggressive anti-corruption agenda.

Next week, Pascoe is to be fêted at a high-dollar fundraiser in Charleston, S.C. – a gathering which includes an assortment of influential reformers and former prosecutors eager to see his agenda implemented.

Is the hard-charging Sicilian the new frontrunner in the battle to become South Carolina’s next top prosecutor?

It would certainly seem so at the moment…

To his credit, Pascoe has walked the walk on several of the dominant issues of the day… including his early commitment to reforming the insidiously incestuous, chronically corrupt way South Carolina chooses its judges.

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This week, I sat down with Pascoe to discuss his latest push to rid the Palmetto State of its epidemic, institutional corruption.

“We’re going to change the game,” Pascoe vowed. “We have a system that’s rigged for these lawyer-legislators and (my policies) are things that are going to change the game, change the culture of corruption in Columbia.”

Pascoe’s agenda includes the creation of a new public corruption unit (PCU) within the attorney general’s office – a division of dedicated prosecutors who would aggressively pursue criminal charges against elected officials who break the law. He has also championed long-overdue reform of the way judges are chosen – something state lawmakers have been reticent to substantively engage.

According to Pascoe, substantive judicial reform is the only way to alleviate undue pressure on judges who feel obligated to toe the legislative line – a problem laid bare by recent efforts to remove a sitting supreme court justice.

“The vast majority of these lawyer legislators are good people,” Pascoe said. “They are not corrupt, but there are a handful of them who exploit the system for themselves and their friends – to put their hands on the public purse to enrich their wallets, and I’m going to stop it.”

“And they are coming after me hard,” Pascoe added.

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RELATED | ‘JUDGE ME BY MY ENEMIES’

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Pascoe said the great thing about his candidacy is that insider attacks against him have become “the bridge of reconciliation with Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly.”

“I bring them together to attack me,” he said. “It’s Republicans and Democrats, but it’s almost always lawyer- legislators or their political consultants.”

Can Pascoe withstand the incoming fire? We shall see…

South Carolina’s top prosecutorial post has been held since January 2011 by Alan Wilson, who is not seeking another term but is instead running for governor. Pascoe is one of three contenders vying to replace Wilson – along with eighth circuit solicitor David Stumbo and state senator Stephen Goldfinch. Another would-be candidate, Henry D. McMaster Jr. – a Columbia, S.C. retail and hospitality attorney (and son of governor Henry McMaster) – is also rumored to be considering a bid.

McMaster Jr.’s prospective candidacy is reportedly backed by U.S. fourth district congressman William Timmons.

For the full interview with Pascoe, click here…

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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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