The hot rumor out of South Cackalacky today is that Gov. Nikki Haley could face indictment on federal tax fraud charges related to an ongoing investigation of her family’s handling of funds donated for the construction of a Sikh worship center.
Now I have no idea if the rumors are true, and for all I know, Haley is completely innocent of the allegations.
But I am interested in the heads-exploding reaction we are likely to witness in Palin-Breitbart ConspiracyWorld if indictments do come down.
You may recall that Palin raced to the defense of her surrogate Mama Grizzly in 2010 when gubernatorial candidate Haley was hit with multiple allegations of marital infidelity. Palin confidently asserted that Brave Nikki was the victim of a conspiracy by the old-guard Republican Establishment in the state to destroy the Conservative Reformer (a claim undermined a bit by the fact that the chief accuser, right-wing SC blogger and former Haley aide Will Folks, was about as close to said Establishment as your average under-the-freeway homeless person).
Haley prevailed in 2010. But you can only imagine the reaction if she is now taken down by the Obama administration Justice Department, temporarily distracted from its usual work of confiscating firearms, seeking to tie Haley to a non-Christian religion which she abandoned when she became a Methodist years ago.
Sure looks like Alinsky tactics to me. Bring in the vetters!
Meanwhile, if the hammer does come down on Haley, calmer minds may wonder about South Carolina’s executive succession laws, insofar as the Republican Lt. Gov. was forced to resign under threat of indictment earlier this month after his own issues with the handling of money got him into deep trouble. This is a chronic problem for South Carolina Republicans, dating back at least to the incident when Haley’s mentor, Gov. Mark Sanford, went MIA on an “Appalachian Trail hike” that veered off to an Argentinian love nest.
More generally, it’s worth remembering that the takeover of southern politics by Republicans was materially aided by their claims they would clean up the ethical messes of complacent good-old-boy Democratic regimes. Methinks Palmetto State Democrats deserve a second look.
