Good for Alan Wilson! He’s not going to let the judge’s ruling shut down his investigation:
COLUMBIA, SC — The investigation into S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell will continue despite a circuit judge’s order that an ongoing SLED and State Grand Jury probe be shut down immediately, state Attorney General Alan Wilson says.
Continued work is allowed during an appeal of a judge’s order, Wilson said. As expected, he said he is appealing Circuit Judge Casey Manning’s order immediately to the state Supreme Court.
“The law allows us to do that,” Wilson told a State reporter in an interview. “The grand jury can continue to do its work unless the S.C. Supreme Court orders it to cease and desist.”…
This is encouraging. I was afraid the whole investigation was dead in the water, pending an appellate ruling.
Judge Manning’s ruling yesterday increases the urgency to get to the bottom of these allegations against the speaker, and it’s a good thing for South Carolina that Wilson is carrying on.
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The entire legal drama concerning Speaker Harrell should be very educational for South Carolina’s citizens.
South Carolina’s byzantine (“devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation”) state house ethics rules and strange judicial oversight are poor advertisements for any business or private candidates considering relocation to here.
We no doubt share the pinnacle of Machievellian political Olympics with the best of the other fifty. We are decades if not centuries behind states that insist on substance over form.
It is now discouraging to see Senate lawyers and their appointed judges, who have long been almost uniquely qualified to bring such foul conflicts of interest to voters’ attention in disagreement rather than calling for obvious reforms in selection of judges, and supremes court appointees.
Shame, shame! Your alleged goodwill and service has been traded on far too long. Your black robes should be striped.
Juan, I was thinking of you earlier today. I saw a reference to something Cindi Scoppe wrote last fall: “Mr. Harrell is the first non-attorney speaker in at least a century.”
re: “Mr. Harrell is the first non-attorney speaker in at least a century.”
Thanks for sharing that information, Brad. One may wonder how many legislators who voted for him to become the speaker had business dealings, attorney-client relationships, and related promises from Mr. Harrell.
What on earth would a publically disgraced ex-speaker do? When will the F.B.I. be called in to investigate this man? If that happens, his feet will not be the only ones that get burned.
After going through some litigation some years back I quickly learned that words really don’t mean much of anything when it comes to court proceedings. But this one really is stunning. Doesn’t the constitution clearly and unambiguiously say that the AG is the person with authority to conduct investigations into violations of the law? Further, isn’t it also true that the General Assembly has no authority to supeona witnesses and therefore couldn’t really make a rigorous investigation?
Manning “found” that no violations of law were alleged. Just ethics violations.
Um hmm
Now I’m wondering about our judges.
The judiciary has always been overly beholden to the legislature, which funds and appoints them.
Well, Manning is surely well funded by someone!
Or traded his integrity for magic beans
The House seems to be working fast and furious on this one…
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess120_2013-2014/bills/5073.htm
It’s interesting to see how many legislators took their names off the bill as sponsors. The ones that remain are doing so under threat of retaliation or else owe Harrell for some other activity.