Governor’s grant scandal heating up
I wrote Tuesday that Sen. Jake Knotts and WCBD-TV submitted Freedom of Information requests for the Carolinians for Reform organization, a nonprofit group that received a very generous donation of $101,524 from Gov. Mark Sanford. But that money came from a leftover coffer of public money raised for last year’s National Governors Association meeting in Charleston, and in turn should not have been used to promote Sanford’s political agenda.
Now FITSNews is reporting that the governor will be officially investigated by a Senate panel as early as January.
A well-placed source within the S.C. Senate says that a formal investigation of Gov. Mark Sanford’s competitive grant “scandal” will be announced “as soon as the legislature reconvenes (in the second week of January), if not sooner.” [FITSNews]
With the ongoing war between Sanford and the legislature at it’s height, expect this to get real ugly.
Senator Knotts will never find all the money hidden away from the public by Mark Sanford. In the Sanford controlled nonprofits he has at least 1.9 million dollars and in his campaign fund he has 2.2 million dollars…totaling 4.1 million dollars!
He can legally dump the campaign 2.2 million into a “nonprofit”, and skip with the whole 4.1 million dollars (or more, as he keeps on raising money)…all under his control. As long as the money is used for “educational purposes” he can spend it as he chooses. He can charter private jets to far flung “educational opportunities”, host conferences for the “beautiful people” on his 3000 acre plantation, donate to other causes or people…all things that will improve the quality of life for the Sanford clan and their friends.
Mark Sanford will never disclose why rich, out of state people give him large sums of money…but I suspect thinking people will know why. It is too bad that the sleepy, lazy press in SC will not demand Sanford make full disclosure of the 6 “nonprofits” Sanford controls. Too bad indeed.
The people of South Carolina have a right to know thier sales price.
[...] way, I’m interested to see if Grant Scandal ‘07 turns into Grant Scandal [...]