For the first time in two centuries as a US state, South Carolina legislators are going to try to remove a nationwide elected official.
Senate that prevails in the republicanRemoved from the officeMore than 1.8 billion dollarsError accountingAnd then she did not report the problem of the General Assembly. Lofts says the attempt to displace him politically motivated.
Loftis can be removed when two -thirds of the Senate and the ward vote against it. At the hearing on April 21, the senators will present their business, and Lofts or his lawyer will be able to answer for three hours. The house will then follow the example of your own hearing.
Money that was not
A58 pagesThe report published last week on the mistake of accounting states that South Carolina’s books were inaccurate for 10 years and continue to be corrected. The state paid millions of US -bachalists who eventually determined that the missing money was not available, which the state had never spent, and instead represented a number of errors in balance books and switching accounts from one system to another.
The state must “not send constant financial supervision – the banking and investment functions of our state – constantly incompetence. According to the sum: if the treasurer cannot track the treasure trove, then he should not remain a treasurer,” the senators wrote in his report, which included more than more than more than more than more600 pagesexhibits.
Loftis replied, indicating that he won four elections since 2010 and called the Senate Investigation in a hobby so that they could receive support for the bill so that the treasurer becomes appointed.
“The financial threat of South Carolina is not on mismanagement or lack of money. The real danger comes from a tireless, politically motivated attack on my office – one that risks to undermine the financial reputation of our state, increase the cost of taxpayers and deprive voters of the right to choose from people, not for special interests,”In the statement.
The origins of an error
The problems began when the state changed the computer systems in the 2010s. When the process was completed, the employees were unable to find out why the books were more than $ 1 billion. A fund was created to cover the accounting error, and for many years it was added more on paper to keep the state’s books balanced.
Error was born after the General Comptroller Richard Extramresigned in March 2023over another account of accounting andits replacementreported a mystery.
The report states that Loftis not only ignored and did not find mistakes made by his office, but also rejected or slowed attempts to investigate the problem on his own.
“The treasury tried to cover them. He covered it for more than seven to eight years,” said Senator, Senator Stephen Goldfinch.
The Senate Subcommittee held hearings to question Loftis under the oath. They were controversial. Loftis crashed into the documents, accused the senators of hunting witches and threatened to get up and leave.
Parsing with senators
One step, especially angered by the senators, took place after Legisler asked Loftis why he did not report state finance reports, as required by the law. Treasurer said he would publish a report on the Internet, which may include bank accounts and other confidential information.
The next day, the senators were on shock. They said the report could be easily published without information that will allow cybercriminals to clear the state accounts.
They had the governor, and the head of the state police found Loftis and the requirement that he would not publish the report. Treasurer stated that he only fulfilled the Senate’s instructions.
“His volatile temperament and an angry behavior degrade those who are accused of working with him to provide the financial position of South Carolina,” the senators wrote in the report last week.
The report also states that Loftis is responsible for millions of dollars to spend insufficient supervision and later insufficient cooperation that investigated the account.
What will happen next?
The Senate approved on Wednesday what they call the “removal” voting without opposition. Legislators never made a constitutional step towards their conclusion.
The future of the resolution in the house is a little more cloudy, where no Republicans came out to force the treasurer to be removed.
Republican Governor Henry McMaster also suggested removing Lofts as too sharply, but the governor has no major role in the process.
Originally this story was presented on Fortune.com
https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AP25092712565641.jpg?resize=1200,600
2025-04-02 21:24:00
Jeffrey Collins, The Associated Press
