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Your SC politics briefing

Welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.

Richard Eckstrom is out.

The embattled comptroller general announced Thursday he’s resigning effective April 30 after he disclosed a $3.5 billion accounting mistake that accumulated over the course of 10 years.

“I have never taken service to the state I love or the jobs to which I have been elected lightly, endeavoring to work my colleagues, from constitutional officers to members of the General Assembly, to be a strong defender of the taxpayer and a good steward of their hard-earned tax dollars,” Eckstrom said in his resignation letter to Gov. Henry McMaster. “They deserve nothing less.”

Prior to his resignation, SC lawmakers had sent signals they lost confidence in Eckstrom and made moves to push him out.

The House voted to slash his salary to $1 in the state budget, and lawmakers called for impeachment. Another 35 senators signed onto a resolution to remove Eckstrom from office for willful neglect of duty, and prepared to hold a trial April 11.

The move was so unprecedented that senators researched what a trial in the chamber should look like, even looking at how Illinois handled an impeachment trial when lawmakers threw then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich out of office in 2009.

What happens next?

The General Assembly has to nominate and pick a new comptroller general.

That will take place in a yet-to-be-scheduled joint assembly.

“I’m certain there’ll be plenty of people who would want the job,” said Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley. “It is a high-profile statewide position.”

Read more: SC Senate panel has advanced legislation that would let voters decide by ballot referendum the future of the comptroller general’s office, a $151,000-a-year four-year position that acts as the state’s chief accountant and fiscal watchdog.

Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom speaks as he celebrates his election win during celebration at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center in Columbia on Tuesday, Nov. 08, 2022.
Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom speaks as he celebrates his election win during celebration at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center in Columbia on Tuesday, Nov. 08, 2022.

How SC won Scout

Few local or state leaders knew Volkswagen’s Scout was courting the Midlands until just before the carmaker said “I do” to South Carolina.

The matchmakers — mostly county and state economic development officials, along with Gov. Henry McMaster and a select few others — worked feverishly to tie the very big knot in a matter of weeks, taking a gamble on hefty promises before most in South Carolina even knew what promises were being made, or to whom.

The inside story on how the deal came to be reveals a fast-paced process that hinged on engineering, money, politics and personalities.

A full-on recruiting-style dinner and “Sandstorm” light show at Williams-Brice Stadium played a part. Negotiations were done while the sour taste of a recent bad deal with Carolina Panthers’ owner David Tepper still stuck with the state’s power players.

Scout’s eyes turned seriously to South Carolina about a week before Christmas, company CEO Scott Keogh said.

“We all said, some of us ... know the state, we know South Carolina. We said, boy, that would be fantastic.”

Scout Motors is welcomed to South Carolina during a ceremony at the South Carolina State House on Monday, March 20, 2023. The plant, located in Blythewood, will produce all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs.
Scout Motors is welcomed to South Carolina during a ceremony at the South Carolina State House on Monday, March 20, 2023. The plant, located in Blythewood, will produce all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs.

2024 Bites

The State: Some SC GOP voters sticking with Trump for ’24; others ready to move on with Haley, Scott

The State: Expected Trump indictment ‘has done more to help’ his 2024 bid, SC’s Graham says

POLITICO: South Carolina doesn’t wanna be a one-and-done

CBS News: Ron DeSantis begins to highlight his differences from Trump

AP: Sen. Scott poised to give 2024 ‘political update’ to donors

Post and Courier: Nikki Haley gambles on age appeals – from 20s to 70s – to stand out in GOP presidential race

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during the Vision ’24 National Conservative Forum, March 18, 2023.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during the Vision ’24 National Conservative Forum, March 18, 2023.

Buzz Bites

The Legislative Audit Council has released one of a two-part audit of the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs that outlines it found, in part, commissioners likely violated public records law, used positions to access information for family members and threatened director’s job. The audit comes as senators look at moving the agency under the governor’s Cabinet.

North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess, who has hinted he may run for North Charleston mayor, has announced he will retire from the police force May 1, WCBD reports.

Gov. Henry McMaster weighed in on an expected indictment against former President Donald Trump, telling reporters this week, “It is unethical for a prosecutor to bring a case against someone where there is no case. You can’t do it. They call it malicious prosecution.”

Conservationists are pushing for the Venus fly trap to be South Carolina’s official carnivorous plant, the AP reports.

Republican Sens. Josh Kimbrell, of Spartanburg, and Danny Verdin, of Laurens, have joined Ken Cuccinelli‘s PAC, Never Back Down, to encourage Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024.

A group of South Carolina Republican lawmakers are looking to join a handful of other states that have passed restrictions on certain medical care for transgender children.

On “The Daily Show,” Sen. Lindsey Graham bet former Sen. Al Franken $20 that former President Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election, POLITICO reports.

Senate Ethics Committee is admonishing Sen. Lindsey Graham for soliciting campaign contributions inside a federal building after a November 2022 Fox News interview, when he asked viewers to donate to a GOP candidate, the AP reports.

SC senators voted 31-5 to approve a ban banning Chinese citizens from buying or controlling SC property, but includes a carve out for Chinese-owned companies that already operate in the state, the Post and Courier reports.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has named Leroy Chapman Jr. as its new editor-in-chief. Chapman, a former government editor at The State newspaper and columnist and editorial writer at The Greenville News, becomes the first Black editor to lead the newspaper in its 155-year history, the AP reports.

Gov. Henry McMaster awarded former state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman the Order of the Palmetto.

The Lexington 2 school board voted to hire James “Vance” Jones as the new principal of Brookland-Cayce High School, naming a new permanent head for the school that had its accreditation threatened over a state grading audit.

Republicans Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Nancy Mace have slammed a controversial state House bill that critics argue could punish South Carolinians seeking abortions with the death penalty, a proposal that Republican leaders say will go nowhere in the General Assembly.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is seen during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing to discuss fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is seen during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing to discuss fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

Mark your calendar

March 26

SC Democratic Party Black Caucus annual Sunday Dinner, featuring 2024 candidate Marianne Williamson

March 27

College and university trustee screening commission meets, 1 p.m.

March 28

City of Columbia District 4 special election between Peter Brown and Beatrice King

College and university trustee screening commission meets, 10:30 a.m.

SC House judiciary panel meets on adoption-related legislation, 10:30 a.m.

March 29

SC House judiciary panel discusses bill to stop sex extortion, 9 a.m.

SC Senate panel discusses anti-CRT bill, 9:30 a.m.

March 30

SC Senate LCI discusses appointment of DEW director nomination, 9 a.m.

April 10-14

SC House on furlough

April 18

Income tax filing deadline

April 29

SC Democratic Party holds state convention in Columbia at fairgrounds

The S.C. Democratic Party headquarters is seen at its 1929 Gadsden St. location in Columbia, S.C. on Monday, June 27, 2022. (Photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA)
The S.C. Democratic Party headquarters is seen at its 1929 Gadsden St. location in Columbia, S.C. on Monday, June 27, 2022. (Photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA)

Before we adjourn

John Jenrette, the former SC congressman whose ascension in politics was brought low by scandal, died last Friday. He was 86.

“The colorful antics of his personal life, deemed scandalous and career-ending in the 1970s, would likely be deemed normalized roguery in the fraught and divisive political landscape of the 21st century,” his obituary read.

The notorious and legendary Democratic congressman’s colorful escapades and dramatic downfall obscured a common touch and many years of service to South Carolina.

Born in Conway, Jenrette worked as a businessman, a lawyer and a city judge and served in the SC House, representing Myrtle Beach from 1965 to 1972. A liberal politician from the conservative Pee Dee, Jenrette was gifted with roguish charisma and the ability to make a deal. He was elected three times to represent the 6th Congressional District.

In 1980, Jenrette was convicted of accepting a $50,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent posing as an Arab sheikh as part of the “Abscam” corruption investigation. Seven members of Congress were convicted of bribery and corruption.

“He was one of the most engaging people I ever met, always ready with a quip and a smile,” said The State’s John Monk.

Pulling the newsletter together this week was Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter), senior editor of the The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with her on Twitter and send her tips on Twitter at @MaayanSchechter or by email mschechter@thestate.com.

To stay on top of South Carolina politics and election news, you can chat with us on Facebook, email us tips and follow our stories at scpolitics.com.