What SC had to say about latest guilty plea in State House corruption probe
The ongoing S.C. State House corruption probe forced another lawmaker to resign his seat and plead guilty Wednesday.
State Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, resigned from the S.C. House hours before he pleaded guilty to misconduct in office. More charges against Quinn’s father, powerful political consultant Richard Quinn, were dropped. But one of the elder Quinn’s companies will pay a $3,000 fine for failing to register as a lobbyist.
Here’s what S.C. political leaders had to say about the plea:
“The governor has said from the beginning of these several investigations that public trust and confidence in the legal and judicial processes requires that they be allowed to run their course according to the law. That has happened today as to two of these investigations, and that is important for the rule of law and for South Carolina.”
– Brian Symmes, spokesman for S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster
‘I hope they all go to jail’
“I hope they spill their guts on all the folks they corrupted and that corrupted them, and then I hope they all go to jail. ... What they’ve done to the state is unforgivable. ... When you sell out your state for a few pieces of silver, it prevents us from improving public education and fixing roads. That’s no small thing.
“If you get rid of the Quinns, but leave in place the system they corrupted, it’s just a first step. ... We need to eliminate PAC contributions and ‘dark money’ by requiring complete financial disclosure from members of the Legislature.”
– Phil Noble, Charleston businessman and Democratic candidate for governor
“Enough is enough”
“For decades, Henry McMaster has turned a blind eye to rampant government corruption and self-dealing. Enough is enough. The governor’s corrupt puppet masters may be going to jail, but I have a message for the rest of his political machine: your days are numbered too. The people of South Carolina have already paid too heavy a price for what has turned into the most corrupt administration in decades.”
– Catherine Templeton, Republican candidate for governor
‘We have to end the culture of corruption in Columbia’
“James Smith has a solid record of fighting for ethics reform to make sure government is transparent and accountable to the people it serves. He is running for governor because he knows we have to end the culture of corruption in Columbia that is holding our state back from achieving its fullest potential.”
— Isaiah Nelson, spokesman for state Rep. James Smith, Democratic candidate for governor
‘Corruption ... no longer tolerated’
“I expected them to plead guilty for a long time. In my opinion, those cases are not trial-able. ... To take a corruption case to a jury trial in Richland County or in any other county in South Carolina would be a tough job (for the defense). ... (Special prosecutor David) Pascoe’s real goal seems to be to identify corrupt people, convict them and put them out of commission. That’s what he did to (former S.C. House Majority Leader Jim) Merrill and (former S.C. House Speaker Bobby) Harrell. ... This sends a warning to other public officials that corruption in South Carolina is no longer tolerated.”
– Ethics watchdog John Crangle, S.C. Progressive Network
‘Begin to put this sad ... episode behind us’
“I’m pleased that Rep. Quinn has accepted responsibility for his actions, so that we can begin to put this sad and frustrating episode behind us and focus on the issues that are important to the state of South Carolina. ... Ethics is going to be on everybody’s mind. We need to make sure our ethics laws are up to date and that they are being enforced because, for a representative type of government, people have to have faith in the people that represent them.”
— State Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, GOP Senate majority leader
This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 7:51 PM with the headline "What SC had to say about latest guilty plea in State House corruption probe."