The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

More on the Bauer/Shealy Angle in the South Carolina GOP Sex Scandal

Posted on | May 28, 2010 | 19 Comments

Erick Erickson’s report — indicating that GOP gubernatorial candidate Andre Bauer and his “shrewd” consultant, Rod Shealy, are the sources pushing the Folks-Haley story — has been ridiculed as less-than-conclusive by Allahpundit. 

However, there is more evidence indicating a Bauer connection to the accusations by GOP blogger/consultant Will Folks. A South Carolina blogger suggests that Republican lieutenant-governor candidate Larry Richter — whom Folks previously portrayed as a cockroach — could be funding the Bauer/Shealy attempt to take down Nikki Haley:

The thing is, the guy paying Rod Shealy all the money right now is none other than Larry Richter, who’s running for Lt Governor. Up to this point, Andre Bauer has paid nothing to Rod Shealy while Larry Richter has paid Shealy $31,751 just since he entered the race in February. . . .
Rod Shealy is the guy pulling the strings here. Larry Richter is the guy paying Rod Shealy.

Richter is an attorney who represented Folks’ ex-fiancee in the 2005 domestic abuse case. The possibility that there have been other incidents of abusive behavior by Will Folks is the subject of another post that I currently have queued in draft, awaiting additional confirmation. Those allegations are serious enough that I don’t want to publish them until I’ve made a good-faith effort to verify the accuracy of the information. Legally, I’d be protected by the attribution “sources say” — accurately reporting what they have told me — but from the standpoint of credibility, I’m trying to make sure my sources aren’t wrong.

While I understand the frustration of readers following this story — “Where’s the proof?” and “Put up or shut up!” — the fact is that it was very easy for Will Folks to get this scandal started, whereas pursuing it to a conclusion won’t be so easy. 

That is directly relevant to my hesitation regarding these accusations against Folks. The accusations are real enough, although I am in no position to know if they are true or false.

Once those kinds of accusations are published, however, I can’t un-publish them. Too bad Folks didn’t consider all the possible ramifications before his idiotic “admission” on Monday. I initially treated his accusation as a joke, but there are real people suffering serious consequences — and the consequences for Will Folks could soon become quite serious indeed.

Melissa Clouthier at Liberty Pundits describes this scandal as exposing the “cesspool” of South Carolina politics. As for Will Folks, Dan Riehl’s comment is blunt:

Folks’ conduct in this has been despicable. Someone should simply drive over and coldcock the SOB at this point.

That should not be interpreted as a suggestion to hit my tip jar and send me to South Carolina. The Shoe Leather Fund is strictly for reporting.

Besides, I’m a lover, not a fighter.

UPDATE: Dan Riehl is annoyed with Allahpundit. Bloggers being annoyed with Allahpundit isn’t unusual, and “annoyed” is Dan’s usual mood, but let’s just hope that Dan doesn’t go from annoyed to angry. Dan once got angry at me, and it’s not an experience I’d recommend. Did I mention that Dan’s from New Jersey?

UPDATE II: South Carolina political journalist Wes Wolfe — who co-authored the award-winning 2008 Free Press story on the Folks/Sanford “hit list” — comments on the report that state Sen. Jake Knotts hired a private detective to investigate Will Folks:

Pfft. No shit Knotts hired a guy. In the process of running down the hit list story, he said things about knowing about meetings at certain locations, among other information, that could only be gleaned by a private dick. We think it had a lot more to do with Gov. Mark Sanford and the political machinations going on there, though. The man said it himself, “You don’t investigate an investigator.” He was a top-notch narcotics cop for years. You think he doesn’t have a wide network of pals and resources to draw on? Whether there was a guy scoping out Folks’ residence and catching Folks and Haley in flagrante delicto can only be borne out if such information comes to light.

OK, so my source was right about Knotts hiring a private eye, which as I said would bolster suspicion that Bauer’s supporters were pushing the Folks/Haley story.

The interesting question is, why was Folks so obviously trying to point the finger at Gresham Barrett’s campaign? My own sources tell me that Barrett’s team is furious at this insinuation.

Folks is playing a very cunning game here, and it looks like he planned this very carefully. My guess is that Folks’ text-messages to Haley’s campaign manager Pearson were part of the set-up — either Folks trying to get Pearson to say something incriminating or, perhaps, establishing in advance the pretext for his own “admission.”

Category: Election, Politics, Republicans, Scandal, Shoe Leather Fund, South Carolina

Comments

19 Responses to “More on the Bauer/Shealy Angle in the South Carolina GOP Sex Scandal”

  1. Joe
    May 28th, 2010 @ 10:30 pm

    Stacy: “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

    Becareful or Folks might take you up on that.

  2. Joe
    May 28th, 2010 @ 5:30 pm

    Stacy: “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

    Becareful or Folks might take you up on that.

  3. South Carolina Cesspool: Will Folks Needs To Be Out With It Or Shut Up–UPDATED | Liberty Pundits Blog
    May 28th, 2010 @ 5:43 pm

    […] Robert Stacy McCain notes how difficult it is to un-allege things. Yes it is. He has some pretty damning information over at his place. […]

  4. Amidst a Scandal, Nikki Haley Still Comes off as a Consummate Pro « Red Dog Report
    May 28th, 2010 @ 6:13 pm

    […] The consummate reporter that he is, Stacy McCain seems to have made the most headway over at The Other McCain today, but concrete answers continue to be […]

  5. Eric Dondero
    May 29th, 2010 @ 1:12 am

    You know Stacy, this is all fascinating and intriguing to us political junkies/bloggers, but the upside of all this is that it serves to boost Nikki even more in the esteem of South Carolinians.

    After this is all said and done she’ll be invincible; the teflon lady from South Carolina. She would have survived a whirlwind of a political storm.

    And the inevitable calls for her running in 2012 will begin soon thereafter.

    I for one, could be switched from a diehard Palin-ite to a Nikki Halley-an.

  6. Eric Dondero
    May 28th, 2010 @ 8:12 pm

    You know Stacy, this is all fascinating and intriguing to us political junkies/bloggers, but the upside of all this is that it serves to boost Nikki even more in the esteem of South Carolinians.

    After this is all said and done she’ll be invincible; the teflon lady from South Carolina. She would have survived a whirlwind of a political storm.

    And the inevitable calls for her running in 2012 will begin soon thereafter.

    I for one, could be switched from a diehard Palin-ite to a Nikki Halley-an.

  7. blaster
    May 29th, 2010 @ 1:21 am

    I grew up in SC – I know Rod Shealy. Actually I know his family better he’s a little older.

    He is literally from the Atwater school. So I guess I would say that I wouldn’t put it past him. Actually kind of surprised he is in Bauer’s orbit, but I guess you go where you get paid. Bauer is the reason that they haven’t impeached Sanford cuz noone wants him to be governor.

    His skeletons aren’t even in the closet.

  8. blaster
    May 28th, 2010 @ 8:21 pm

    I grew up in SC – I know Rod Shealy. Actually I know his family better he’s a little older.

    He is literally from the Atwater school. So I guess I would say that I wouldn’t put it past him. Actually kind of surprised he is in Bauer’s orbit, but I guess you go where you get paid. Bauer is the reason that they haven’t impeached Sanford cuz noone wants him to be governor.

    His skeletons aren’t even in the closet.

  9. Who Funded Will Folks? UPDATE: Erick Erickson is Unsure | Midnight Blue Says
    May 28th, 2010 @ 9:22 pm

    […] Other McCain elaborates on the menage-trois amongst Will Folks, Andre Bauer and Rod […]

  10. Matt X
    May 29th, 2010 @ 2:48 am

    Why does everybody talking about this story have to dump on SC politics like there aren’t bad politicians in other states? I’m getting tired of this “good ol’ boy” meme that people not from SC like to describe our politicians. There also seems to be this stereotype that men in SC are sexist but that’s not the case at all.

    Dan Reihl seems pretty angry all the time these days. His attack on Allahpundit was bizarre….Allahpundit’s a reliable conservative and I think he’s more conservative than he even he thinks despite his somewhate defensive “RINO!” statements every time he takes a little heat for being liberal on abortion and gay marriage. I do think Erick Erickson deserved a little mocking…I did not understand why he didn’t tell us last night if he had “the real scoop” on Folks. I don’t see a need to do a practical joke using Folks as Folks already is a joke, even if he’s telling the truth.

  11. Matt X
    May 28th, 2010 @ 9:48 pm

    Why does everybody talking about this story have to dump on SC politics like there aren’t bad politicians in other states? I’m getting tired of this “good ol’ boy” meme that people not from SC like to describe our politicians. There also seems to be this stereotype that men in SC are sexist but that’s not the case at all.

    Dan Reihl seems pretty angry all the time these days. His attack on Allahpundit was bizarre….Allahpundit’s a reliable conservative and I think he’s more conservative than he even he thinks despite his somewhate defensive “RINO!” statements every time he takes a little heat for being liberal on abortion and gay marriage. I do think Erick Erickson deserved a little mocking…I did not understand why he didn’t tell us last night if he had “the real scoop” on Folks. I don’t see a need to do a practical joke using Folks as Folks already is a joke, even if he’s telling the truth.

  12. Estragon
    May 29th, 2010 @ 11:48 am

    Wolfe is a “political journalist” like Erich von Däniken was an astrophysicist. Meaning – NOT.

    Will Folks drinking pal, maybe. Anti-Sanford hack, definitely. Total tool – well, you be the judge.

    If he’s your source, you got diddly.

    I strongly suspect Bauer, as I’ve said since early on, but Wolfe isn’t confirmation, or evidence, or even particularly interesting.

    If anyone hired a private dick, why would they follow Folks, unless they were interested in second-rate bars and third-rate people? If a PI was hired, it was connected to Bauer, all right, but they would have been tracking Sanford, not Folks (who had been fired) and certainly not Haley, who was barely a blip on the radar back at the time.

    Sorry, the idea that someone would have gone to the trouble of hiring a PI to track a fired wife-beating loser and a little-known legislator doesn’t pass the laugh test. It’s part of Folks’ delusion of grandeur. After that bursts, he’ll have to deal with his delusion of adequacy.

  13. Estragon
    May 29th, 2010 @ 6:48 am

    Wolfe is a “political journalist” like Erich von Däniken was an astrophysicist. Meaning – NOT.

    Will Folks drinking pal, maybe. Anti-Sanford hack, definitely. Total tool – well, you be the judge.

    If he’s your source, you got diddly.

    I strongly suspect Bauer, as I’ve said since early on, but Wolfe isn’t confirmation, or evidence, or even particularly interesting.

    If anyone hired a private dick, why would they follow Folks, unless they were interested in second-rate bars and third-rate people? If a PI was hired, it was connected to Bauer, all right, but they would have been tracking Sanford, not Folks (who had been fired) and certainly not Haley, who was barely a blip on the radar back at the time.

    Sorry, the idea that someone would have gone to the trouble of hiring a PI to track a fired wife-beating loser and a little-known legislator doesn’t pass the laugh test. It’s part of Folks’ delusion of grandeur. After that bursts, he’ll have to deal with his delusion of adequacy.

  14. Knottzi
    May 29th, 2010 @ 12:27 pm

    It might also be noted that Jake Knotts has endorsed Larry Richter.

  15. Knottzi
    May 29th, 2010 @ 7:27 am

    It might also be noted that Jake Knotts has endorsed Larry Richter.

  16. ak4mc
    May 29th, 2010 @ 12:41 pm

    Dan Reihl seems pretty angry all the time these days.

    As I recall, Riehl’s blog was originally named “Carnivorous Conservative” — as in, “red meat.” I don’t think that was necessarily a reference solely to his dietary preferences.

  17. ak4mc
    May 29th, 2010 @ 7:41 am

    Dan Reihl seems pretty angry all the time these days.

    As I recall, Riehl’s blog was originally named “Carnivorous Conservative” — as in, “red meat.” I don’t think that was necessarily a reference solely to his dietary preferences.

  18. Will Folks Stunt Backfires; Nikki Haley Still Leads in South Carolina Governor’s Poll « Red Dog Report
    June 1st, 2010 @ 3:15 pm

    […] I know, is the last thing that I would want is a pro like Erick Erickson pissed off at me, a bloodhound like Stacy McCain on my trail, or a pitbull like Dan Riehl out to prove me […]

  19. Will Folks’ Stunt Backfires; Nikki Haley Still Leads in South Carolina Governor’s Poll « Fort Liberty
    June 4th, 2010 @ 12:10 pm

    […] I know, is the last thing that I would want is a pro like Erick Erickson pissed off at me, a bloodhound like Stacy McCain on my trail, or a pitbull like Dan Riehl out to prove me […]