House Speaker Bobby Harrell Bats Aside More Ethics Charges

House Speaker Bobby Harrell (R-Charleston) has dismissed another round of ethics charges against him.

Appearing before the South Carolina Commission on Ethics Reform on Tuesday, Ashley Landess of the South Carolina Policy Council told the panel that she had evidence that Harrell attempted to use his position to benefit one of his businesses.

Landess said that as owner of Palmetto State Pharmaceuticals, Harrell sought special treatment for the firm. She provided emails from 2006 (attached to this story) that she claims are proof that Harrell conducted himself in an unethical fashion.

Harrell told the Associated Press that the idea he acted unethically was "ridiculous."

It's the second ethical problem in the last four months for the Speaker, who is thought of in political circles as the most powerful man in the state.

In September, an investigation by the Post and Courier revealed that Harrell had reimbursed himself over $300,000 in travel expenses.

Shortly after the reimbursements were disclosed, a group of transparency advocates, one of whom was Landess, held a press conference in the statehouse where they offered ethics reform proposals and called on the Speaker to be more transparent.

But Harrell says members of the groups making charges against him are doing so out of personal animus. He told the Greenville News (subscription required) he did nothing wrong.

The body before whom Landess was appearing on Tuesday has no legislative power and was created by Gov. Nikki Haley.

Curiously, the website for the Super PAC with which Harrell is affiliated, the Palmetto Leadership Council, was not accessible as of Tuesday evening.

Harrell's office did not respond to a request for comment on the latest charges or the website.

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