Republican blogger Will Folks, in an e-mail to The Daily Caller, said records of e-mails, text messages and phone records will prove he had an extramarital affair with South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley.
“In the end, I think the record of communication here will end up speaking for itself,” Folks told The Daily Caller.
On Monday, Folks — a former spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford — claimed he and Haley were romantically involved. Haley, leading a pack of Republicans vying for a win in the June 8 primary, categorically denied that an affair took place, saying she’s “been 100 percent faithful” to her husband of 13 years. She blamed her primary opponents for stirring up the rumors.
Sarah Palin, who endorsed Haley several weeks ago, came to her defense, calling Folks’s bluff. “Nikki categorically denies the accusation that was spewed out there by a political blogger who has the gall to throw the stone, but then quickly duck and hide and proclaim he would not comment further on the issue. Quite convenient.”
But Folks says he can prove the claim with a record of correspondence that started in November 2005 with an email sent from Haley to Folks complimenting him on an article he had written on her.
“That four-and-a-half year record of correspondence ended on Saturday, May 22, 2010 – three days ago – with a text message sent from Folks’s cell phone to Haley’s cell phone at 1:04 p.m. alerting her to the fact that he had been placed in a position where he felt that he had no choice but to address the rumors regarding their relationship on his website,” the blog said.
“Those are the bookends … but what happened in the interim?”
The blog speculates that the reason Haley’s team have not pursed any legal remedies against Folks is because subpoenas would result in the publication of the damning records.
Folks declined to answer questions posed by The Daily Caller, and instructed this reporter to contact a spokeswoman working on his behalf for additional information.
Palin, who spoke with Haley Monday afternoon, reiterated Haley’s argument in her Monday Facebook posting that the accusation is a last minute attempt to thwart the campaign in the final weeks of the race: “As I said to Nikki this morning, ‘Hang in there. I’ve been there. Any lies told about you will strengthen your resolve to clean up political and media corruption. You and your supporters will grow stronger through things like this.’”