South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley told state legislators that she never used her office for personal gain.
Haley is accused of taking $48,000 as a state representative from an engineering firm to serve as a “passive” consultant to find new work. She never found any.
Haley claimed her accuser, businessman and lawyer John Rainey, is “a racist, sexist bigot who has tried everything in his power to hurt me and my family,” according to McClatchy DC. Haley repeated a story she has told before about her only encounter with Rainey. Rainey visited Haley during her campaign and was “demanding, demeaning, and rude,” she said. Haley refused to take any donations from him.
Rainey did not comment, but one of his attorneys called the hearing a “farce” citing a dearth of knowledgeable witnesses.
Haley insisted on her innocence, saying: “I just want the truth out there. I know exactly what my frame of mind was. I know exactly what actions I took. I know the situations that were at hand.”
“I have done nothing wrong,” said Haley, repeating, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”