South Carolina law enforcement is releasing some details of the investigation that eventually resulted in the fall from grace of former South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell. Harrell resigned a month ago after pleading guilty to six campaign finance violations.
In February 2013, South Carolina's state law enforcement division began an investigation into then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell. The state attorney general's office asked the division, called SLED, to look into several complaints from the president of a watchdog group.
This week, SLED released a redacted version of what it returned to the attorney general's office. It shows the amount of pressure Harrell put on the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy to grant a permit to his pharmaceutical business, including calling several board employees into his state House office. Board employees later told law enforcement they handled the request just like any other.
The investigation also shows Harrell used campaign funds to take trips to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, and to a high school baseball tournament in Fort Lauderdale. Harrell ended up pleading guilty to six campaign finance violations about a month ago.
