‘Truth’ group attacks South Carolina conservatives linked to GOP leadership

The worst-kept secret in South Carolina politics this year was that the spate of fraudulent dark-money attacks against conservative lawmakers was orchestrated by the so-called “Republican” majority in the House of Representatives.

These left-leaning unity elites have certainly not been afraid to admit this. Earlier this year, deputy majority leader in the S.C. House of Representatives Jay West publicly begged special interests to subsidize their attacks and assaults.

“You all need to help us get rid of them,” West told a group of industry leaders in January, calling conservatives “crazy people.”

The so-called “Palmetto Truth Project – which our media first reported last spring – was the vehicle for this campaign. Over the past year, this group has relentlessly beaten members of the organization SC Freedom Caucusa contingent of about sixteen conservative lawmakers who have refused to stand up for the failed status quo in the SC State House.

First, some history: From 1878 to 1994, generations of corrupt, self-serving white Democrats were solely responsible for the Palmetto State’s myriad problems. Since 2001, however, legislative power has been solely in the hands of white “Republicans” – many of whom have simply switched parties (though not dominant philosophies) to retain their power.

The result? A self-serving, self-perpetuating one-party oligarchy…one that continues to produce atrocious results in virtually every way that matters.

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Instead of working to reverse these results, “Republican” leaders have done everything in their power to neutralize conservatives since they achieved numerical supermajorities after the 2022 elections. Last year, for example, House GOP leaders kicked conservative Republicans out of their caucus for refusing to sign a “pledge of allegiance” to the establishment. Status Quo leaders have also bribed challengers to run against members of the Freedom Caucus in the upcoming 2024 primary election — while using other tactics to silence dissent on the floor of the S.C. House of Representatives.

Last fall I discovered that this “truth” group was operating with the tacit approval of the “Republicans” at the top of the status quo, including the Speaker Murrell SmithWays and Means Chairman Bruce BannisterSpeaker pro tempore Tommy Pope“Majority” leader Davey Hiott and other senior GOP leaders.

Lately, these GOP leaders’ approval is becoming a lot less “tacit”… and a lot more overt.

Late this week, our media received a document linking the Truth organization to a well-known Republican consulting firm. Starboard communications. Led by a GOP strategist Walter WhetsellStarboard is the same company that provides consulting services to the US SC House GOP Caucus – the political organization behind the “Republican” majority in the lower house of the SC General Assembly.

Starboard is also apparently the “account administrator” of the Truth Group’s official website, PalmettoTruthProject.org.

As you can see below, a source who attempted to reset the password for an email address associated with the Truth group found an interesting option in the menu…

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Sources familiar with the email address referenced in the reset form said it belongs to it Amy Bliss HallArt Director of Starboard.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Bliss-Hall designs “logos, direct mail, promotional materials, simple websites, advertising, rack cards, brochures, corporate identity, to name a few projects.”

In other words, it produces exactly the kind of political propaganda that the Truth group spits out…

“We are a group of South Carolina business and community leaders who have come together to hold our elected officials accountable by telling the TRUTH about the votes they receive in Columbia,” the group proclaims on its website .

Really?

It seems pretty clear that this group is it Exactly what we have called it from the start: A “well-heeled, dark money campaign” run by the one-party establishment – ​​which includes the “Republican” leadership of the SC House of Representatives.

As for Whetsell, he made no secret of his company’s work with the Truth group.

“Since the beginning of this year, we have told everyone who has asked us that we are helping them,” he said.

Whetsell also pointed to the Vice Chair of the Freedom Caucus, RJ May IIIruns races against incumbent lawmakers from his position within the Legislature.

“RJ works for the Freedom Caucus, runs races for members of the Freedom Caucus and runs challenger campaigns for members of the House Caucus,” Whetsell said. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with either one or what the difference is.”

_{^{BANNER: Travis Bell Columbia SC Photographers}}

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Want people is the founding editor of the news organization you are currently reading. Before founding FITSNews, he was press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and, before that, a bass guitarist and bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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