Daily Caller: A company owned and run by South Carolina’s Democratic candidate for governor was blacklisted as a contractor for the Department of Veterans Affairs following allegations that he was selling his veteran status to corporations so they could tap into federal contracting dollars intended to help disabled vets.
James Smith works as a state legislator and lawyer, and also runs the Congaree Group, which has received millions of dollars in federal government contracts. The company operates out of Smith’s law firm suite, and he once told the VA he was its only employee.
On paper, the company has done everything from manufacturing pharmaceuticals to mopping floors and from parking cars to conducting advanced mathematical analysis.
On May 17, VA officials arrived for a surprise inspection, VA deputy assistant Secretary James Hutton told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The purpose was to find out if Smith was running a middleman company used to win lucrative federal contracts earmarked for disabled veterans, then passing all the work off to non-veteran companies in exchange for a cut for himself. Such so-called rent-a-vet scams are forbidden.
Smith’s company declined to cooperate with the VA and failed to provide evidence that the business was legitimate, Hutton said. On May 31, the VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation issued a “Notice of Proposed Cancellation,” which would lead to the Congaree Group being stripped of its preferred, disabled-veteran contractor status if not resolved, according to Hutton. The Congaree Group still “did not provide the requested documents” explaining itself, he said.
On July 11, one month after Smith won the primary election, the VA banned the company from its preferential status, according to Hutton. The Congaree Group no longer appears on the VA’s list of approved veteran-owned businesses.
He must be a partner with that phony war hero senator!
Biden was down here to stump for this guy. Wonder if Joe has a comment about this or if he even remembers now?
Well, it’s either him or Henry McTaxater. This go-around it’s “None of the above.” My choices all suck this time. It’s all the open primary system that kills us in SC.
@Sybil, “It’s all the open primary system that kills us in SC”
And that’s how we ended up with Lindsey Graham. Again, although he is slightly more conservative as of late. Must have something to do with his upcoming re-election in 2020
Yeah, WDS, Lindsey puts on his conservative street cred right before reelection comes up. Though, I have loved him going after the Dems lately. My biggest disappointment is William Timmons running for Gowdy’s seat. I was so furious. He got on talk radio and made jerk out of himself… and then WON! All of it thanks to Dems crossing over during the primaries. And Dem crossover is how we’ll end up with Henry McTaxter again! I’m still deciding what to do. I’ve always voted for nearly 30 years, but this has gotten intolerable in SC. Any advice out there in the IOTW audience for a disgruntled voter?
@Sybil. Vote red. We first need large majorities in Congress. Then sort out the RINOs later. Just my opinion.
redefining the further need for prisons
@riverlife_callie, I appreciate the advice. I’m just feeling demoralized right now. I really liked Gowdy.
Well, we kicked out the clown that was in the seat before Gowdy- that was Bob Inglis. We can do it again. Thanks!
Mr Smith, someone named Mr. Blue called and left a message for you.
He said he wanted to get a piece of the action.
Mr. Blue?
Yes, I think he said his name was Blue Menthol or something like that…
@Sybil – Yes, it will be hard to swallow, but I would follow @riverlife_callie’s advice. What that would mean ultimately is voting against the malevolent Dems. I would love to see the Ds utterly humiliated and stomped on by way of an overwhelming R victory.
And I say this in full recognition that there are many Rs whom I despise. It’s just that we can count on any D elected to ALWAYS resist MAGA efforts, whereas an R, even a never-Trump R, will at least occasionally vote with the party.
(I have a hard time believing that I have changed my mind so completely on this issue. Not that long ago I sat out elections because of the corrupt election/ballot access system, and the lack of any candidate who even a little bit had values I agreed with. Now, I’m completely pragmatic about it all.)
@Sybil. I understand the feeling. I felt the same when I lived in Washington State. Like my vote didn’t count.
@Uncle Al, @riverlife_callie, thanks for the wise advice. I needed to get out of my disgruntlement. I’ll go and vote, alright, but William Timmons will hear from me constantly!
LOL… James Smith commercial is running in the background right now! He won’t even put in the party he’s running for, and he’s playing up how much of a veteran he is. It’s pathetic.