5 Things That Happened This Week In South Carolina Politics: Joan Jett, Jails, And Just Look At The Time!

South Carolina Radio Network's irreverent weekly look at the unusual, comical, or bizarre in SC politics and government.

1. Gottagobye!!!

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The ongoing House Speaker Bobby Harrell- Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson legal fight continued this week and will stay in the news in the coming weeks.

Wilson on Tuesday sought to appeal a judge's ruling that ordered the State Grand Jury to halt its ethics investigation of Harrell. Wilson maintained state law allows his office to continue the investigation while the case is being appealed. The Supreme Court agreed and said it will hear the case next month.

An irritated Harrell disputed that his ethics violations should be a criminal case at all. He spoke with several reporters (including South Carolina Radio Network) while leaving the House chamber on Tuesday, insisting that Wilson should be investigated himself, given previous ethics violations that the Attorney General has admitted.

Harrell then refused to take any questions and walked off to a caucus meeting. However, he forgot he still had a TV microphone attached to his jacket... leading to an awkward moment when he had to quickly stop, turn around, apologize, and return it.

It wasn't as smooth an exit as this guy's...

2. Ohmygoodness, lookatthetimegottarun!

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At least Harrell spoke to reporters -- which was more than State Rep. Harold Mitchell did.

Mitchell on Thursday was penalized more than $23,000 by the House Ethics Committee. Committee members noted Mitchell had not reported any campaign donations or expenses for more than four years (he ran for reelection twice in that span). Instead he operated the account on a cash basis, a major Ethics Act violation since he had no documentation to prove the money was spent for legitimate campaign reasons.

Mitchell previously told the committee he was a bad bookkeeper, but wouldn't say the same to reporters on Thursday. Three journalists, including one from SC Radio Network (notice a pattern here?), tried to speak with him when the House adjourned. Mitchell saw them coming and started an ardent conversation with another legislator. While the reporters waited, he then carried on a more fervent conversation with a second legislator.

Finally running out of people to talk to, he returned to his desk and said he needed more time to review the committee's order before commenting. He asked reporters to call his cell phone later that day and he would speak then.

They did... and he didn't.

3. You can't do that anymore...

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Speaking of ethics...

The House on Wednesday approved an ethics reform bill in a last-minute attempt to get something passed before the Statehouse adjourns for the year next month. It would create an independent investigatory panel consisting of members from the executive, legislative, and judicial branch. This panel would consider all ethics complaints, investigate if there's probable cause a violation occurred, then refer the case to the relevant authorities...

All right, yeah, we find it boring too.

Long story short. The proposed law will require more people to look at an ethics complaint, in an effort to avoid the current impression that the legislature, governor, or judge can cover up and prevent an investigation by their peers. It would also require legislators to show all of their income sources (currently they only have show government sources of income), but not the specific amount they earned.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

4. I hate myself for loving you!

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Gov. Nikki Haley, who makes it no secret that she's a fan of 80s rock, got to have what was undoubtedly a memorable lunch on Monday.

While in New York for the annual Republican Governors Association meetings, Haley posted on Facebook that she got to eat at the famous Waldorf Astoria with her self-professed music idol Joan Jett..

Haley may have been thinking "You Drive Me Wild," during the lunch date. When they found out, Democrats and independent candidate for governor Tom Ervin recalled "Bad Reputation." And one journalist tweeted "Fake Friends."

As for us, we're surprised Jett was allowed into the Waldorf

5. I get one call...to my agent

South Carolina's prisons agency is now asking for the public's help as it faces a near-epidemic problem with cell phones being smuggled into its facilities. The Department of Corrections says inmates are using the phones to contact the outside world and even post photos and videos of themselves on Facebook & Twitter.

The problem was highlighted all too well when a "rap video" surfaced in March that showed at least eight inmates performing in a cell -- complete with dance moves and a Capella backup vocals. (It was billed as "1st Ever Music Video In Prison!") Corrections director Bryan Stirling was not amused.

So, we did not ask him about reports that a similar video is going viral from a white-collar prison in the Charleston suburbs...