| Rep. Boyd Brown has sent a pointed letter to Attorney General Henry McMaster, criticizing the AG's decision not to empanel a grand jury to investigate Undone Gov. Mark Sanford's South American adventure. "I believe we need to determine whether any members of the Governor's staff provided false information to law enforcement, a determination which is better made by a Grand Jury," Brown said in his letter dated June 29. "The people of South Carolina and I are not willing to simply trust the word of a man who has admitted to not telling the truth on this very subject, and I would hope that you...would hold a higher standard of truth seeking when deciding whether to conduct an investigation than a press conference and a few media stories," Brown wrote. Brown's letter exposes the tightrope Republican gubernatorial hopefuls are walking in regards to the Wild Bull of the Pampas. While some see Lt. Governor Andre Bauer as seeking to gain political advantage by working behind the scenes to force Sanford out, McMaster is subject to criticism that he's treading lightly with the Undone Gov to avoid giving Bauer the upper hand. Brown pulled no punches in pressing McMaster to investigate despite the political consequences. "Your unwillingness to look into this matter disappoints me and I certainly hope political considerations played no factor in your decision," Brown said. UPDATED: The hazards of posting from a Blackberry is that half the time you leaving out half of what you've composed after previewing. So thanks to someone from the AG's office in contacting me to point out what I left out. While it's true that McMaster is subject to criticism from all sides on a decision to investigate Sanford, McMaster has always shown the utmost integrity in public office. He's consistently made decisions based on the law, not political considerations. The battle over the stimulus funds - as well as over "dovetailing" - had political downsides for McMaster that he ignored in following the law. |
