House Committee Re-Opens Haley Allegations
House Ethics Committee asks for additional information just weeks after dismissing the allegations of Gov. Nikki Haley's alleged violations as representative.
The alleged ethics violations of the governor — a matter thought to have been settled just weeks ago — has been reassessed and reopened by the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee, which is asking for more information from the governor's office and former employer Lexington Medical Center by noon May 25.
A Democratic-pushed resolution landed Gov. Nikki Haley's alleged ethics violations back in the committee Friday. The governor was accused of lobbying for former employers while she served as a state representative.
The committee voted 5-1 May 2 to dismiss the complaint filed against the governor.
But Richland Democrat Rep. James E. Smith Jr. introduced the legislation to have the committee reopen the case Tuesday.
The ethics committee is headed by Aiken Republican Rep. J. Roland Smith. Rep. Laurie Slade Funderburk of Kershaw is the lone Democrat on the committee and was the sole dissenter in the May 2 vote that cleared Haley.
According to the resolution, "although the committee found reason to investigate the alleged ethics violations filed against Haley, the committee promptly voted to dismiss the complaint." The resolution contends that ethics violations "should not be treated lightly or hastily dismissed without a full and complete vetting of the facts ... It is the duty of the House Ethics Committee to maintain the utmost integrity of the ethics accountability system as it pertains to current and former House members."
The governor's spokesman Rob Godfrey reacted to the news of the complaint being reopened quickly.
"Let's be very clear: this is a complaint from a bigot who called the governor a 'terrorist' and the Democrat Party chairman — and that has been dismissed or discredited by every court or attorney or expert that's looked at it. It's shameful," Godfrey said in an email to Patch. "But make no mistake: Governor Haley will continue to stay focused on the job taxpayers hired her to do, create jobs, reform our broken state government and move South Carolina forward."
S.C. Forward Progress founder Tyler Jones saw the move differently.
"If Governor Haley thinks this is a witch hunt, she should take that up with the members of her own party who just voted unanimously to reopen this case," he wrote Patch.
Jonathan Edwards
2:47 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Neither party likes Nikki Haley because she is just not a good leader -- she is a political robot gone haywire. As soon as the Republicans realized they could no longer harness in her ignorance -- which has been spurred by her increasingly delusional sense of accomplishment -- they turned on her just as fast as thy created her.
www.jonathanpedwards.com
Allison
3:55 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Nitpicking BS. They can't stand that she isn't a good old boy. Turn the microscope of any of them & you will find more skeletons than in an anatomy class.
stanley seigler
5:08 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
re: "The alleged ethics violations of the governor has been reopened by the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee"
the GOPs are unbelievable...no one said i should understand and i dont understand the GOP heartburn over THEIR gov...she is a GOP and better than most GOPs...
can anyone factually summarize why GOPs dont like her...
reg
5:12 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
They don't like her because they know she's giving them a bad reputation and hurting their own re-elections. Two months into office, her public approval rating was only 35%. (I think it recently hit a new height of 37.) She'll face serious opposition in the 2014 primary, I'll bet - including from the current Lt. Gov.
Mimi
1:57 am on Sunday, May 20, 2012
Maybe their factually disdain for her is that she has done NOTHING for the state of South Carolina that was a thoughful or benifical for the state. She is using her present position as any in the past to further her personal agenda and wealth no matter who it hurts. She has spent more time selling books about how dumb she it than actually trying to learn what it means to governor. This woman is a disaster and was only elected by a faulty voting system that is corrupt from the begining. I saddens me to think how much ahead South Carolina would be today under Vincent Sheehen. One can only dream. It is embarassing to live in a state that is the laughing stock of the country.
stanley seigler
12:54 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
@Mimi: "...their factually disdain for her is that she has done NOTHING...how much ahead South Carolina would be today under Vincent Sheehen..."
no question SC would be better with a DEM gov (my opine)...my disdain is with the GOPs... gov haley is a typical GOP...actually better than most GOPs...and as mentioned at least she has not gone hiking on the appalachian trail (the one in argentina)
re: "This woman is a disaster"
as mention she is typical of GOP govs.:)