pretty woman…

Posted on Sunday 6 June 2010


By FITSNews || Republican gubernatorial front-runner Nikki Haley and FITS founding editor Will Folks texted each other nearly 200 times over the past ten months according to records provided by Verizon Wireless – not a particularly high volume of communication when compared to the voluminous phone records that Folks released last week, but enough to raise some eyebrows. One exchange – initiated by Folks – took place on January 3, 2010 while the blogger was in Birmingham, Alabama attending a college football bowl game.  That particular 22-message thread began at 12:03 a.m. and ended at 1:05 a.m.  Two nights earlier, Haley texted Folks at 12:22 a.m.

In June 2009, Folks’ wife Katrina [a.k.a. Mrs. Sic] responded to what she described as inappropriate ”emotional exchanges” sent via text message late at night between Folks and Haley by sending her own message to the gubernatorial candidate from her husband’s phone.
    “This is Katrina,” Mrs. Sic’s message to Haley read. ”Keep it business only.”
In addition to releasing records of recent texts and phone logs, Folks has also published a series of text messages outlining the days leading up to his May 24 admission of having an ”inappropriate physical relationship” with Haley in the Spring of 2007. Haley has denied Folks’ claim and said that her extensive night-time phone calls with the blogger – who was her consultant at the time – were professional in nature. Haley says she has been 100 percent faithful to her husband and that she would resign as governor if any evidence were presented to the contrary.
Some political stories are of interest because they affect our lives. Others are more tabloid-like – sort of like the stories on what I call "bad person television" – like 20/20 or Dateline or 48hours – stories of liars and cheaters and swindlers and killers. The Nikki Haley story is more in this range of the melodrama of "bad person television." Why would Will Folks, a conservative blogger, and Larry Marchant, a Republican political consultant, both claim to have had flings with Nikki Haley if it wasn’t true? Even if everyone believed them, it would hardly reflect well on their careers.

Well maybe one of those questions has an answer, Katrina. Will Folks wife was apparently in the picture. One can easily picture her saying, "Either you go public with this story before someone else does or I’m out of here. This is no way for me to start my marriage." Maybe Larry Marchant was in the same boat:
Marchant said that he and Haley were together in June of 2008 while the two attended a school choice convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"I spent the night with Mrs. Haley," Marchant said. "We had sexual relations. We had sex. I broke the vows of my marriage." "We had several drinks, we went to dinner, we did go to a couple of bars…you know, it just happened," he said. "It was one time, and one time only."

He says he came forward when he heard Haley deny another allegation of an inappropriate physical relationship.’

"I know she was making some very strong statements about her relationship and it bothered me," Marchant said. "I just didn’t think I could look in the mirror every day and know that I knew something and just keep it to myself."

He says he told his wife about the relationship about eight days before he left Bauer’s campaign. He says he did not tell Bauer until this past weekend.
It looks like Nikki Haley is going to win the Republican Primary day after tomorrow [Poll: Haley Maintains Huge Lead]. That’s fine. She may well be the best person for the job. And, who actually cares? It’s the business of the South Carolinians who they want to be their Governor. And it’s kind of cute that they’re going for an Indian-American.

But there is a point in all of this. Likely as not, Nikki Haley is lying – consciously lying. In 1996, we reelected Bill Clinton under the same circumstances. He ended up being impeached by the House of Representatives and came within a few votes of being convicted by the Senate. Nikki Haley says that she will resign as Governor if this alleged relationship is ever proved.

Meanwhile, Will Folks published a rambling commentary yesterday [Nikki Haley And The SCGOP’s November Dilemma]. If this story [these stories] are true, Nikki Haley will be haunted throughout her political career. Sooner or later, the truth will be revealed [recall that there’s supposedly a photograph out there that would prove the case]. What then? And what does the lying mean? As melodramatic as this story has become, it does raise a legitimate question of basic integrity…

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.