South Carolina House Speaker Suspends Himself From Office After Being Indicted

South Carolina House Speaker Suspends Himself From Office After Being Indicted

By Christine Mai-Duc, Los Angeles Times

The speaker of South Carolina’s House of Representatives found himself in the awkward position of having to suspend himself from office Thursday, a day after he was indicted by a grand jury on campaign finance and misconduct charges.

Bobby Harrell informed the clerk of the state House of his decision in a letter.

“I have great respect for this institution and the people of South Carolina,” Harrell wrote. “I have always sought to act in their best interest and continue to do so now by taking this action and suspending myself from office.”

Harrell added that he is “proactively taking this step,” which he described as “the right decision.”

South Carolina law governing public officeholders requires that any member of the legislature indicted in a state or federal court for a felony, a crime of “moral turpitude,” an election law violation or an offense that carries a sentence of more than two years be suspended “immediately without pay by the presiding officer of the House or Senate.”

A Richland County grand jury indicted Harrell on nine charges, including filing false campaign reports, using campaign money for personal expenses, and misconduct in office, prompting Gov. Nikki Haley and several House members to call for his resignation as speaker.

The allegations include assertions that Harrell used campaign funds to pay for “nonexistent” trips in his private jet and that he used $70,000 from his campaign account to pay the salary of an assistant at his State Farm insurance business.

Harrell faces removal from the House if he is convicted or pleads no contest, but if he’s acquitted, he’ll be entitled to reinstatement and back pay.

During the suspension, Harrell cannot “participate in the business of his public office,” the law says.

Photo: Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

How A Stuttering President Confronts A Right-Wing Bully

Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden’s stutter,” the headlines blare, and I am confronted (again) with (more) proof that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee hates people like me.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump at Trump Tower

Former President Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - Donald Trump faces a Monday deadline to post a bond to cover a $454 million civil fraud judgment or face the risk of New York state seizing some of his marquee properties.Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's February 16 judgment against him for manipulating his net worth and his family real estate company's property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}