Bobby harrell “docu-dump” misses key info - fitsnews

_CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE’S “TRANSPARENCY” BID FALLS SHORT … _ Embattled S.C. Circuit Court judge Casey Manning released a flood of court documents related to the ongoing Bobby Harrell corruption

case this week, attempting to mitigate criticism that his office had been less-than-transparent in the process. Manning authorized the clerk of the statewide grand jury to release seventeen

documents – most of them court filings related to the investigation of the powerful S.C. Speaker of the House, who has been embroiled in controversy for nearly two years. Harrell’s drama

began in September 2012, when reporter Renee Dudley (formerly of _The Charleston Post and Courier_) exposed more than $325,000 worth of dubious reimbursements claimed by Harrell from his

campaign account. Since then, the allegations against the influential legislative leader have snowballed … as has the political drama surrounding the case (in large part due to Harrell’s

amateur hour political and public relations “management” of the crisis). In January, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson referred the case – and an initial complaint filed by the S.C. Policy

Council – to a statewide grand jury. Since then Wilson – who has been the subject of a vicious smear campaign by the Speaker’s political operation – says his office has uncovered additional

“potential criminal matters” related to the Harrell case. Even so Manning – possibly under duress – has attempted to shut down Wilson’s investigation and route the proceedings back to a jury

of Harrell’s peers in the S.C. House of Representatives (even though he’s the judge who signed off on the grand jury probe in the first place). Crazy, huh? The Speaker’s scandal currently

resides before the S.C. Supreme Court (a body Harrell is widely believed to have in his back pocket). Justices are expected to hold their first hearings on the matter within the next five

weeks. Anyway … now that we’re all caught up on the background of the case, let’s look at the documents released this week by the judge …. Here they are: _1. Letter from Ashley Landess_ _ 2.

Complaint from South Carolina Policy Council_ _ 3. Attorney General Letter to SLED_ _ 4. Motion to Disqualify Attorney General and Supporting Affidavit_ _ 5. Attorney General’s Response to

Motion to Disqualify and Supporting Affidavits_ _ 6. Reply of Robert W. Harrell, Jr. to Motion to Response to Disqualify Attorney General_ _ 7. Attorney General’s Proposed Order Denying

Motion to Disqualify_ _ 8. Robert W. Harrell, Jr.’s Proposed Order Submitted March 28, 2014_ _ 9. Brief of Attorney General on the Inapplicability of Rainey v. Haley to the Current State

Grand Jury Matter_ _ 10. Memorandum of Robert W. Harrell, Jr. Submitted April 2, 2014_ _ 11. Attorney General Supplemental Brief Refuting the Application of Rainey v. Haley to this Case_ _

12. Email and Attachment Submitted April 16, 2014_ _ 13. Robert W. Harrell, Jr.’s Proposed Order Submitted May 7, 2014_ _ 14. Attorney General’s Proposed Order Finding Rainey v. Haley

Inapplicable to the Current State Grand Jury Matter_ _ 15. Court’s Final Order_ _ 16. Attorney General Notice of Appeal and Motion to Expedite_ _ 17. Attorney General Petition for

Supersedeas_ Whew … If you clicked on each one of those links and read each one of those pleadings, congratulations. You are a better citizen than us … Of course Manning’s “docu-dump” is

notable for what it didn’t include. For example, Manning did _not_ release a copy of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) report into Harrell’s political operations. Harrell has

been calling on Wilson to release this report for weeks – although the Attorney General is prohibited from doing so by law while the grand jury investigation. Could Manning have released it?

It’s not immediately clear … in fact it’s not immediately clear whether Manning has_ even seen the report_. There is one critical file Manning _has_ seen, though – and deliberately omitted

from his recent “docu-dump.” We’re referring to the so-called “CIM” – which is prosecutor shorthand for “case initiation memo.” This is the document prepared by prosecutors as a summary of

the allegations – or in Harrell’s case, a summary of the findings of the SLED report. According to a pair of sources familiar with this document, the CIM in Harrell’s case is “beyond

damning” for the Speaker. “Which is among the reasons it wasn’t released,” one of the sources said. Naturally, FITS is endeavoring to obtain a copy of this “summary of allegations” in

Harrell’s case, although we are told Manning has placed the document under seal – possibly at the request of Wilson’s office. Developing …