Freedom Caucus members Reps Jordan Pace, Vice Chair RJ May, and Chair Adam Morgan speaking before the East Cooper River Republican Women in Charleston. Photo courtesy Freedom Caucus Facebook page.
This article originally ran in The Standard print edition but has been edited with more recent information.
“Freedom Caucus is getting lots of pushback, typical when you’re over the target.”—House Rep. Jay Kilmartin, R-District 85, Irmo-Chapin
The South Carolina Freedom Caucus is in the news again. The Caucus sued the SC Statehouse Ethics Committee to protect their “First Amendment right,” to be recognized as a caucus to represent SC citizens and recently won their case to represent the people with their full rights intact.
This legislative session the Freedom Caucus (FC) was looked upon as the proverbial “red headed step child” that got no respect by the “establishment”, or RINO, faction of the SCGOP. This resonates with what President Trump often said while occupying the Oval office that the “deep State” was not after him, but after the American people and their resources.
This appears to have validity in SC where many of those who follow the Freedom Caucus have received text messages from an outfit calling itself the Carolina Jobs Coalition (see photo) claiming FC members “fight to kill jobs”. Interestingly, the bill referred to is a bill that could steal jobs from South Carolinians and hand them over to an out of state company immigrating to pick up a check for moving to SC. This approved under a GOP RINO controlled House and at this writing pending in the Senate!
House bill H4088 is what Rep. Jay Kilmartin, R-District 85, Irmo, described as “crony capitalism” on the House floor. Kilmartin said, that the bill “is the very thing I ran against”. He added that “if somebody asked me what crony capitalism is I would just hand them H4088.”
The bill ponies up $1,300,000,000, that’s $1.3Billion, of taxpayer money to lure VW brand Scout Motors to South Carolina to spend a total of $2Billion. Rep. Joe White, R-District 40, Newberry, said “the state is spending $1.3Billion to lure Scout Motors to SC while never giving small businesses similar legislative concern.” White, remarked that the Freedom Caucus was again “attacked by texts to our constituents saying we were against jobs and anti-business.”
Rep. White wrote in a recent Newberry Observer editorial that former District 6, Rep. and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Brian White, said following his defeat by April Cromer in the June 2022, primary that “South Carolina is great because we work with each other. We go across the aisle to Democrats. We MAKE COMPROMISES…” He followed that with “because we do what is in the best interest of the state.” The question is, are the actions of some members of the State’s legislature in the best interest of the state and South Carolinians, or themselves and as charged, “cronyism”? Self interest and cronyism is not new, it’s been in politics for as long as men have served in it, and members of the Freedom Caucus question those motives too.
In a video of Kilmartin speaking to the legislature, he said that he has opened several small businesses, but he quipped to the legislature from the well on the floor “there is no accountability… How nice of you to give away other peoples [taxpayer] money to private business ventures. He refreshed the memories of legislators on the Carolina Panthers debacle, VC Summer debacle” and others.
Kilmartin admonished legislators to “stop picking winners and losers in the private sector with taxpayer money.” He continued that there are questionable practices in extracting lithium for EV batteries and some battery manufacturers locating to SC may have ties to unlawful child labor in foreign countries. He likely was indicating foreign manufacturers coming to SC like lithium-ion battery manufacturer Kontrolmatik Technologies, who Governor McMaster announced in December is locating to Colleton County.
Forbes magazine ran an article in February 2023, citing mining practices in Congo where raw materials, including cobalt, is often mined by children. The article cites that 80% of the world’s cobalt is mined in Congo.
After his description of the debacles the state legislature has entangled the state, SC citizens in, Kilmartin asked the legislators, “What are we doing”? Indeed, most people who are paying attention are asking the same question: What are the representatives of the people doing at the statehouse?
Michael Reed is Publisher of The Standard newspaper, print and online. You may find our videos available on Rumble. The bulk of TheStandardSC video media channel has been censored by dominant social media groups like YouTube. YouTube, owed by Alphabet (Google), removed and destroyed all of our video work without permission or remuneration. That has stopped all potential donations from our many supporters on that venue. If you want to continue to see independent thought and reports please “like”, comment, share with a friend, and donate to support The Standard on this page to assure the continued availability of news that is ignored too often by the dominant media.
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