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True Reform? S.C. Justices Say They Won't Investigate Each Other
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
South Carolina’s top court has decided to remove itself from investigations of ethics complaints against sitting justices.
But for now, members of the Supreme Court – whose six-figure salaries are paid by S.C. taxpayers – can still discipline a wayward fellow justice even with the creation of an “independent” panel to investigate the alleged ethical misconduct.
And given the secrecy baked into court rules, the public will continue to be left largely in the dark when it comes to ethics complaints filed against judges at any level.
Over the past 22 years, at least 90 formal complaints have been filed against S.C. appellate judges with the state office charged with investigating judicial ethics violations, according to court records reviewed by The Nerve.
Rep. Pace & MySCGOP’s Jeff Davis Goes Head-to-Head During School Choice Discussion
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- By Palmetto State Watch
On August 11th, Palmetto State Watch hosted a discussion on School Choice through an X (Twitter) Space. Several researchers, political figures/candidates, and constituents joined them to share their thoughts on the issue. There was some great information that was disseminated so take a listen to the recorded version!
SCFC Special Event Announcement!
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- By SC Freedom Caucus
One of the main reasons the South Carolina Freedom Caucus has experienced the success we have is due to our tireless and committed grassroots supporters. Anytime we have an opportunity to partner with them for events, we love to do it.
That’s why we have a special invitation for you to attend an inspirational event hosted by the Anderson County Republican Party with a very special guest: Allen West!
Read below for more information. Several SCFC legislators will be in attendance, so we look forward to seeing you there!
“Don't Be Silent,” Says Magnuson
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- By Terry M. Thacker
“People are waking up,” said South Carolina state representative Josiah Magnuson. “They are seeing that the establishment in both parties are not working in the best interests of America. He spoke recently to a gathering of members of the Greenville County Constitutional Party.
Magnuson is a member of the Freedom Caucus, a small group of representatives within the Republican Part in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He has represented northern Spartanburg County in the Statehouse since 2016.
Although Magnuson is a Republican, his Constitution Party roots go back to his teen years. “This movement (Freedom Caucus) matters and you matter. You're part of it and the Constitution Party has been at the heart of this groundswell from years past.” He noted that the radical leftist organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center, has labeled the Constitution Party as a hate group.
$1.8B Mystery Could Cost SC Taxpayers Millions to Solve
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The S.C. taxpayer tab for outside attorneys and accountants hired in connection with investigations into the mystery $1.8 billion could run up to more than $5 million, records show.
And so far, no state agencies are claiming their share of the $1.8 billion, while a state task force created by the governor more than three months ago to investigate the matter still won’t say publicly whether the money even exists.
For the fiscal year that started July 1, lawmakers designated $3 million for “audit contracting” through the state Department of Administration, which later this month awarded a contract with a “potential” $3 million value to a global consulting firm to provide “forensic accounting services” in reviewing the $1.8 billion, according to online department and state budget records.
Mystery $1.8B task force advised by firm with Trump ties
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The task force created by Gov. Henry McMaster to investigate an unclaimed $1.8 billion is getting advice from an international law firm that specializes in defending clients facing possible or actual federal investigations, records show.
The Atlanta-based King & Spalding firm also has ties to former President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, according to media reports and court records.
At the June 4 meeting of the “working group,” which McMaster created on April 11, King & Spalding attorneys “provided legal advice” to the group, which included representatives from the governor’s and attorney general’s offices; S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis, state Comptroller General Brian Gaines, state Auditor George Kennedy and S.C. Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams, as well as staff members from those agencies, according to written meeting notes.
SC's Conservative Movement Wins!
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- By SC Freedom Caucus
Freedom Caucus Defends All Incumbent Seats
This past Tuesday, South Carolina held our Republican primary. As we have previously documented, House GOP leadership in conjunction with special interest groups have been targeting South Carolina Freedom Caucus members since early 2022. RINO leadership recruited 11 candidates to challenge conservative Freedom Caucus legislators and dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars of dark money into these races to spread blatant lies and misrepresentations. Some estimates are putting the total spent by the establishment to unseat conservatives at as much as $3 million.
Governor's Secret Task Force Still Mum on Mystery $1.8B
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
A task force created by Gov. Henry McMaster to investigate a mysterious $1.8 billion that reportedly is in a state account has met secretly at least six times in less than two months but hasn’t yet publicly released any specific findings.
As The Nerve revealed last month, the “working group” that met behind closed doors three times in April included the following agency heads who attended most or all of the meetings either in person or virtually: S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis, state Comptroller General Brian Gaines, state Auditor George Kennedy and S.C. Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams, according to meeting notes released by the Department of Administration under the state’s open-records law.
The Multibillion-Dollar State Surplus that Keeps Growing
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Editor’s note: This is the first investigative story in a two-part package on massive state financial accounts. The other story can be found here.
S.C. lawmakers don’t talk much publicly about this part of the state’s coffers, though it’s a huge chunk of money.
Known as “other” funds, the revenues include such things as college tuition, lottery proceeds, state gasoline taxes, part of the state sales tax earmarked for K-12 education, and court fees and fines. Many state agencies don’t spend all of their available other funds in a fiscal year, with some of them ending the year with relatively large surpluses.
As of a month ago, the state had a total of more than $9 billion in other fund reserves, The Nerve found in a review of S.C. Department of Administration records obtained under the state Freedom of Information Act.
SCFC Issues Policy Memo on "Health Czar"
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- By The SC Freedom Caucus
Conservative legislators clarify our objections and offer potential solutions
At the end of this legislative session, Representative Josiah Magnuson (Spartanburg) used a procedural motion to kill S.915 or the “Health Czar” bill. Since then, the Governor and several members of leadership have expressed interest in resurrecting the bill despite overwhelming grassroots opposition and clear concerns expressed by conservatives.
We felt it was important to communicate once again what our objections are to the bill, and what are some potential solutions that could make the bill better.
Subject: S.915 - SCFC concerns with the policy, and proposed solutions
SCPC, SCPIF Dispute Commerce's Spin on Scout Ethics Complaint
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The following is a joint statement issued by the South Carolina Policy Council and South Carolina Public Interest Foundation in response to a recent opinion column submitted by S.C. Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey to at least two news outlets in the state:
The South Carolina Policy Council and South Carolina Public Interest Foundation last month jointly submitted a formal complaint to the S.C. State Ethics Commission regarding Scout Motors’ electric-vehicle assembly plant under construction in Richland County. The commission’s executive director in an April 26, 2024, letter notified the two organizations that the complaint “contained facts sufficient to warrant an investigation.”
The Policy Council and The Nerve – the investigative news arm of the Policy Council – each published the complaint on their respective websites on April 29, 2024.
SC Freedom Caucus Defeats Health Czar!
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- By SC Freedom Caucus
Major Wins on Final Day of Session
Earlier this year, the Uniparty establishment made multiple attempts to force through a “Health Czar” Bill under the guise of restructuring and consolidating public health departments in SC. Today, the SC Freedom Caucus defeated the effort!
You may remember a few months ago we wrote:
“Rather than standing up to the WHO, banning vaccine mandates, or ensuring that the legislature will have a voice to stop lockdowns and runaway ‘health emergencies,’ the General Assembly is focused on passing legislation recommended by the Boston Consulting Group, a partner of the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”
Our SC Freedom Caucus had numerous objections to this unprecedented bill including the unknown cost to taxpayers, dangerous powers placed in the hands of a sole unelected bureaucrat, and failure to actually “consolidate” or cut any government whatsoever.
Bombshell Story: House GOP Caucus Senior Advisor Helps Dark Money Attack Conservatives!
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- By SC Freedom Caucus
Saturday afternoon while many of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus members were door knocking and connecting with constituents on issues that matter to them, a bombshell story broke concerning the inaccurately named, special interest-funded, dark money group, “Palmetto Truth Project.”
As you probably remember, Palmetto Truth Project was established in March of last year after South Carolina Freedom Caucus members pushed the woke Left and RINO establishment to their breaking point through conservative amendments and exposure of the RINOs’ own voting records. The establishment was especially incensed that we targeted DEI funding and wasteful pork in the 2023 budget. Days later, PTP began a relentless attack on all SCFC members because we were standing up and fighting for conservative values - and winning!
17 State AGs Refuse to Allow Biden to Insert Abortion into Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
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- By Dan Hart - The Washington Stand
As the Biden campaign continues to push abortion as its primary focus ahead of the November elections, the administration made yet another move to ensure that abortion remains front and center by moving to insert the issue into the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act earlier this month — a move that earned a strong rebuke and lawsuit from a group of 17 Republican state attorneys general.
In mid-April, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it was controversially adding abortion into its draft rules for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, allowing workers to “ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure.” But critics say the legislation was never intended to address abortion and was merely meant to give pregnant women commonsense accommodations in the workplace, including time off for medical appointments, options to sit down and stand up while working, exemptions from heavy lifting, time off for postpartum recovery, bathroom, breastfeeding, food, and water breaks, considerations for morning sickness, and more.
SC Policy Council, SC Public Interest Foundation file ethics complaint against Scout Motors
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The South Carolina Policy Council – the parent organization of The Nerve – and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation have jointly filed a state ethics complaint against Scout Motors related to the $1.29 billion state appropriation last year for the company’s electric-vehicle assembly plant under construction near Columbia, according to a press release issued today.
The written complaint, which was submitted to the State Ethics Commission and included with the press release, asks the commission to investigate whether Virginia-based Scout Motors Inc., a company created in 2022 by German-based Volkswagen, violated state ethics law by failing to register as a lobbyist principal before the S.C. Legislature and Gov. Henry McMaster approved the appropriation, known as Act 3 of 2023.
The complaint cites findings in Nerve stories last year and this year about meetings or events involving Scout Motors officials or their representatives and McMaster, his staff or lawmakers before the appropriation was approved; and an earlier incentives proposal by the state of Mississippi.
Energy Mega-Bill: Government Moves to Control, Taxpayers Pay the Price
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- By Average Steve - Palmetto State Watch
At first glance, I must admit, the Energy Policy Institute (EPI) looks pretty good on paper. As do many other government entities, what at the outset seem to be reasonable & cost efficient, is anything but. EPI is a proposed new bureaucracy with 3 members appointed by the general assembly for a 4 year term at a salary of $100k per year. The members are vested with the power to regulate the rates and services of every public utility. They are tasked to “fix just & reasonable standards, classifications, regulations, practices & measurements of service to be furnished, imposed or observed and followed” by every public utility in SC. Even though this commission is governed by a 6-member board of elected officials, the power held by 3 bureaucrats for that length of time encompassing “every” public utility can be incredibly dangerous. The bill H5118 that creates the EPI, should be drastically scaled back or “killed” outright.
- South Carolina Congressional Conservatives Block Liberal Judge
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