SC

Nikki Haley Ally Kills Critical SC Ethics Reform

SENATOR STRIPS INCOME DISCLOSURE FROM REFORM LEGISLATION One of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s top allies in the South Carolina Senate killed a critical ethics reform this week – the latest chapter in the governor’s ongoing hypocrisy on this issue. S.C. Sen. Larry Martin (RINO-Pickens) killed a provision of ethics reform…

SENATOR STRIPS INCOME DISCLOSURE FROM REFORM LEGISLATION

One of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s top allies in the South Carolina Senate killed a critical ethics reform this week – the latest chapter in the governor’s ongoing hypocrisy on this issue.

S.C. Sen. Larry Martin (RINO-Pickens) killed a provision of ethics reform that would have required lawmakers to disclose all of their sources of income – meaning the Palmetto State will remain the only state in America where lawmakers can be paid under the table by companies seeking taxpayer-funded business.

Efforts to expose these shady deals had been pushed by S.C. Rep. Kirkman Finlay (R-Columbia), who wanted lawmakers to disclose “the source, amount and type of all income received by any public official from a nonpublic source for the preceding calendar year, as indicated by any and all wage or earnings reporting documents issued to the public official.”

Clearly that level of transparency didn’t sit well with the governor and her allies … and now an already weak ethics reform bill has become totally pointless.

“Nikki Haley has never walked the walk on income disclosure,” S.C. Democratic Party spokeswoman Kristin Sosanie said. “Because, as usual when it comes to ethics, Nikki Haley has been one of the worst offenders.”

Indeed …

When Haley unveiled her “ethics reform” proposals in 2012 we had to laugh … after all, her plan proposed doing away with many of the loopholes she has habitually exploited over the years in order to maintain and expand her political power.

“Trusting Nikki Haley with ethics reform is like asking Amy Winehouse to be your Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. Or hiring Jerry Sandusky to babysit your children. Or appointing Barry Bonds to investigate steroid use in baseball,” we wrote at the time.

Obviously nothing has changed since then …

Income disclosure has been a major transparency issue since 2010, when then-S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley was busted hiding tens of thousands of dollars in payments received from a company with extensive business before the state. Haley – then a candidate for governor – belatedly disclosed that she had received $42,500 in consulting fees over a three-year period from the former Wilbur Smith Associates, which was the lead firm on a proposal involving the relocation of the S.C. Farmer’s Market.

These fees were not reported on her statements of economic interests. In fact, the vast majority of this income ($40,000) was reported by Haley two weeks after the GOP primary election – and mere hours before Republicans voted in a runoff election between her and former U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett.

Wilbur Smith Associates said it hired Haley because she had “good contacts.” Haley hasn’t publicly said what she did for the firm, although she told numerous people in private that she did “accounting” work for the company. Numerous State House sources have accused the governor of lobbying for Wilbur Smith, although these allegations were part of a 2012 “whitewash” of ethics abuses involving Haley.

The issue of income disclosure was revived last year when FITS published a series of stories detailing millions of dollars in payments received by a construction company co-owned by powerful S.C. Senate finance committee chairman Hugh Leatherman.

Dozens of other lawmakers have similar self-serving deals …

South Carolina is the only state in America which doesn’t require its leaders to disclose any private income – which is an incredibly frightening proposition given the extent of corruption that exists here (and the lack of public access to documents).

Sadly, it looks as though the beat will go on …

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47 comments

???????? February 26, 2014 at 7:43 pm

And FITS will ultimately endorse Haley, sad indeed.

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Will Folks aka Sic February 26, 2014 at 7:51 pm

Nope. Never again. Ever ever ever. Don’t you read this site? There’s a libertarian jumping into the race. -> https://www.fitsnews.com/2014/02/23/coming-soon-sc-libertarian-gubernatorial-candidate/

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jimlewisowb February 26, 2014 at 8:14 pm

Damn right skippy

Have no doubts that you will not “endorse” the Gypsy Queen, have no doubts that you will back a “libertarian”,

Have doubts that when the two final nags are coming down the backstretch and one of them is a dark haired filly you will straddle the homestretch rail silently until the race is over

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Frank Pytel February 27, 2014 at 5:54 am

Ouch

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Fits Aint No Republican February 26, 2014 at 8:16 pm

Yep the entrance of the “mystery” libertarian will give Fits his “out.” He can endorse whoever this “loser” is, safe in the knowledge that he aint goin anywhere.

Then , when Nikki is safely reelected start the whole con over again.

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Vincent Shyween February 27, 2014 at 8:39 am

She’ll win by ten points with or without the turd’s endorsement

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TheCoast February 27, 2014 at 10:27 am

No way. She won by less than 5% last time, and there has been a whole lot of buyer remorse in the last 3.5 years.

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Mike at the Beach February 27, 2014 at 2:38 pm

Follow…the…money. Not only has Vinnie dropped the ball by snuggling up to Obama on some issues, but the the money meter (which is usually very accurate) says no way. As the Magic 8-Ball would say: “Outlook not so good.” Sad, but true.

Fed Up Republican February 26, 2014 at 7:48 pm

Until my GOP grows a set, stops it’s hypocricy and gets rid of the reprobates, adulterers, cheats and ethicly challenged amoung us, we need to cease our votes for the failures accepted by the establishment GOPer’s:
Mark Sanford
Richard Eckstrom Nikki Haley
Larry Martin Brian White
Hugh Leatherman Luke Rankin
Harvey Peeler Joe Wilson
Bob Peeler Bobby Harrell

Until we rid the GOP of this rift raft scum! We are no better than the Democrats with:
Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton
John Edwards Jim Cluburn
Nancy Pelosi Harry Reid
Barak Obama Henry Waxman
Anthony Weiner Chuck Shumer

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SCBlueWoman February 26, 2014 at 7:53 pm

The repubs are worse…..they claim morality when they have none.

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SCBlueWoman February 26, 2014 at 7:54 pm

Oh my, she’s really getting chunky.

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Horny Street Bum February 26, 2014 at 8:06 pm

More cushion for the pushin’.

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Mike at the Beach February 27, 2014 at 2:12 am

Oh, I can sink to a lower level than that! I’d still do her. I mean, how many dudes get to say that they’ve spanked a seated governor? Of course, like many women, she hasn’t offered…

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SCBlues February 27, 2014 at 8:29 am

—” I’d still do her”—–
Gulp. I’d recommend a couple of courses of strong antibiotics before and afterwards.

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SCBlueWoman February 27, 2014 at 9:56 am

just use an extra thick condom.

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euwe max February 27, 2014 at 2:54 pm

what if there are sores, and she’s oozing?

Mike at the Beach February 27, 2014 at 3:55 pm

You’d have to ask Will about that, but as for me that would scratch her off of the list, seated Governor or not. Then I can move down to the next item on that list: hot Asian twins.

euwe max February 27, 2014 at 4:02 pm

French-Japanese mix, or Vietnamese-American?

Mike at the Beach February 27, 2014 at 10:01 am

I’d just wrap myself in a Hefty bag…

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SCBlues February 27, 2014 at 10:52 am

Are things this slow at the beach in the winter that you need to resort to this??

euwe max February 27, 2014 at 11:34 am

looks bad, smells bad, feels good.

1 of 3 left February 27, 2014 at 12:53 pm

Lemon juice can help the smell part.

Mike at the Beach February 27, 2014 at 3:54 pm

You know how it is, off-season and all…

WTF February 27, 2014 at 8:05 pm

A full body condom would be advisable!

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dastar February 27, 2014 at 10:35 am

Sad, but true! Simran, if you let your skin go and pack on th pounders, this is what you’ll look like, Really?! Living in a bus? Talk about gypsy. Rick should get full custody! Those kids need a stable role model.

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euwe max February 27, 2014 at 2:56 pm

damned by faint praise!

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anon. February 26, 2014 at 9:09 pm

NIKKI HALEY ONLY CARES ABOUT NIKKI HALEY!

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southmauldin February 27, 2014 at 1:37 pm

Yeah, she did some “accounting” work at Wilbur Smith. She was a counting all of that money she grifted off of them.

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a face in the crowd February 26, 2014 at 10:12 pm

People get the government they deserve.

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Vote for who'll screw you February 26, 2014 at 11:02 pm

“The victim deserved to be raped.”

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a face in the crowd February 26, 2014 at 11:11 pm

To my knowledge, rape victims do not have the right to vote on rapists committing acts against them.

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Vote for who'll screw you February 27, 2014 at 1:37 am

Would it matter if they did?

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TheCoast February 27, 2014 at 10:30 am

People get the government that they vote in. Sad. Very sad.

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a face in the crowd February 27, 2014 at 11:26 am

Precisely.

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A penis in your face February 27, 2014 at 3:50 pm

What if the choices all amount to people that will screw them?

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Smirks February 27, 2014 at 6:50 am

Nikki’s actually quite the successful troll, she builds peoples’ hopes up before dashing them thoroughly. She even convinces enough schmucks to still follow her after she does it, too.

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Roger February 27, 2014 at 9:22 am

There is a bombshell that is about to come out. Evidently Haley has been recorded secretly in a conversation that is very damaging between a former staffer and her.

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Cherrie February 27, 2014 at 9:28 am

Yeah…I heard that as well that person has already hired an attorney…wow…

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Philip Branton February 27, 2014 at 10:55 am

Dear Adweek “pawn” Christopher Heine……….

( http://edit.adweek.com/news/technology/starbucks-cmo-answers-3-questions-instagram-video-155984 )

Dare to guess what point in this FITSNEWS article is missing that SMIRKS would make money on if he “followed” Lindsey Graham’s funding “wolf”…??

Chris….dare to guess what coffee SMIRKS drinks along with GRaham and MACE and Wil Folks…??

Mr. Heine, how well do you think “SPAWAR Atlantic” can sell a pen….or pencil..?

Mr Heine, dare to guess how many “SMIRKS” will hit and read the Adweek article and realize how Lindsey Graham sells his pen to WHO…?

( Boomerang 101, 404, 901, move Nancy Mace checking account ethics to SPAWAR Atlantic “voter security lock box”, wager 3 missing Kiev bitcoins, Facebook Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, Pintarest CBC Radio ONE/ Under the Influence….)

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Publica February 27, 2014 at 11:18 am

I notice that Haley’s hips are in expansion mode. I hope Sheheen whomps them and her large ass in the next go-’round. Sheheen hasn’t abused his position for personal gain like Haley has. She’s an ethical embarrassment. While our governor doesn’t have that much authority, she does set the ethical tone at the top.

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Manray February 27, 2014 at 11:28 am

People get the government they deserve. Next November Haley and Martin are reelected by significant margins. This is SC — where all the sheep say “baaa.”

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SCBlueWoman February 27, 2014 at 3:14 pm

I thought the sheep were saying “Screw me.”

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euwe max February 27, 2014 at 3:37 pm

Sounds like a Republican get out of jail free card.

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euwe max February 27, 2014 at 11:33 am

I’m sure it’s all in the interest of thinking positively.

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This just in. . . February 27, 2014 at 2:09 pm

Arizona Governor Vetoes Anti-Gay Bill: “Let’s Focus on Discriminating Against Mexicans”

PHOENIX (The Borowitz Report) — Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a controversial anti-gay bill last night, telling reporters, “Let’s focus on discriminating against Mexicans.”

Governor Brewer said that while “the intentions behind this bill were obviously excellent,” she was worried that the bill “would distract us from our main mission of harassing, tormenting, and otherwise making life miserable for Mexicans.”

Although Governor Brewer said that she could foresee a time when Arizona might “branch out into discriminating against gays,” the decision to veto the anti-gay bill in the name of anti-immigrant pride was not difficult: “Arizona needs to stick to what it does best.”

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Angry Grandpa March 1, 2014 at 9:14 am Reply
diamonddave May 25, 2015 at 10:30 pm

Hey Pickens County voters; expecting an adequate number of companies that provide enough good paying jobs to come inti Pickens County to keep over half its workforce from commuting to Greenville while Larry Martin is your Senator is like trusting Nikki Haley with ethics reform, having Amy Winehouse as your Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, hiring Jerry Sandusky to babysit your children, or hiring Barry Bonds to investigate steroid use in baseball. Clearly, every paycheck he has ever gotten from Alice has been a bribe. Was 32 years not long enough to prove that in 2012? You had a good chance to get a real businessman like Rex Rice in there, but thanks to your ignorance, once again, you blew it .If it wasn’t voter ignorance, then maybe you were stupid enough to believe Nikki Haley’s lies about voting to raise taxes.

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