MARK POWELL RESIGNS, FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS CITED
Mark Powell – the veteran communications director for S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson – is resigning his post in the aftermath of his boss’s obstruction scandal.
Wilson is facing withering criticism for blocking grand jury proceedings many believe would have led to the indictment of multiple elected officials in his political orbit – a.k.a. the empire of neo-Confederate “Republican” consultant Richard Quinn.
His overt attempts to politicize the ongoing investigation have also drawn sharp rebukes from all corners of the state’s political establishment.
Well … almost all corners.
So … is that why Powell is leaving? Not necessarily …
According to multiple sources in the attorney general’s office, Powell is stepping down because of an illness in his family – one that has forced him to move back to his home state of Missouri.
“This was in the works,” a source inside the attorney general’s office told us, adding that Powell’s departure has “no connection whatsoever” to Wilson’s ongoing implosion.
Sources outside of the office have confirmed that Powell has been planning his departure for some time – citing the same family considerations.
Still, we’re told that Powell – who earned the respect of South Carolina’s press corps – repeatedly expressed his frustration over the politicization of the attorney general’s office, most notably the influence wielded by Adam Piper.
Piper, of course, has been at the heart of the ongoing scandal after text messages between him and SCGOP chairman Matt Moore were leaked to the media. Those messages exposed a shameless attempt by Wilson’s office to turn the obstruction scandal into a partisan scrape.
In other words … it’s precisely the sort of politicization Powell has argued against during his tenure in Wilson’s office.