The S.C. House Ethics Committee today will not consider the ethics case involving Rep. Bill Chumley, R-Spartanburg, who is being investigated for authorizing the use of a state plane in March to bring an out-of-state witness to testify at a legislative subcommittee hearing.
In a written message to The Nerve Monday night, Rep. Kenny Bingham, R-Lexington and the Ethics Committee chairman, said Chumley’s case was taken off the agenda of the 1:30 p.m. meeting because Chumley requested a hearing – which would involve witness testimony – and would be unable to attend today’s meeting.
Bingham said a hearing date on Chumley’s case has not been set. The Ethics Committee today is scheduled to consider an unrelated ethics case involving Rep. Harold Mitchell, D-Spartanburg, who faced the committee in a Nov. 26 hearing on allegations of possible misuse of campaign funds.
Contacted Monday morning, Chumley told The Nerve that no one from the Ethics Committee had informed him that his case had been removed from today’s agenda.
The Ethics Committee on Nov. 26 found probable cause that Chumley might have violated state ethics law by authorizing the use of a state plane to bring George Mason University economics professor Walter Williams from the Washington, D.C., area to testify at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on March 20 on a bill sponsored by Chumley.
That bill (H. 3101), which passed the House this year but remains in the Senate, is aimed at stopping the implementation in South Carolina of the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.”
The Nerve on Friday examined Chumley’s case in-depth, based on documents provided by the Ethics Committee. The Nerve plans on covering today’s meeting, which will be held in Room 511 in the Blatt Building on the State House grounds, and will bring updates with new developments.
Reach Brundrett at (803) 254-4411 or rick@thenerve.org. Follow him on Twitter @thenerve_rick. Follow The Nerve on Facebook and Twitter @thenervesc.