Suspended South Carolina speaker to plead guilty to ethics charges

[KeepItReal]

Source: Reuters

Suspended South Carolina House of Representatives Speaker Bobby Harrell is expected to plead guilty to criminal ethics charges related to misuse of campaign money and misconduct in office, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Harrell, a Republican indicted on nine counts that include falsifying his private plane's logbook to seek payment for non-existent travel, is scheduled to appear at a hearing on Thursday morning in Columbia, the prosecutor in the case said.

David Pascoe, the prosecutor, declined to comment further, and Reuters could not verify that Harrell planned to plead guilty.

Harrell, who suspended himself from the Legislature after his indictment last month, has called the case against him a "political vendetta" carried out by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, a fellow Republican, who ordered the investigation and convened a grand jury before appointing Pascoe.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-usa-south-carolina-harrell-idUSKCN0IC00K20141023

[freshwest]

1. Wonder if or how this affects control of the legislature there...