SC Citizens Criticize Senate Vote To Remove State Treasurer For "Willful Neglect"
Find out what actually took place on last Monday and why South Carolinians are fed up with the SC Senate
Update: It has been reported by several outlets that the House of Representatives will probably not take up the bill to remove Treasurer Curtis Loftis this session. However, it is not for certain. On May 1st, it was announced that Senator Grooms had asked the Inspector General's Office to investigate the Treasurer's Office.
After a nearly 10 hour hearing, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove State Treasurer Curtis Loftis from office using Article XV, Section 3 of the State Constitution late Monday night (April 21, 2025).
As previously reported, SC Senate Finance Committee has been after the former Comptroller General, former State Auditor, and now current Treasurer Loftis for an accounting error of a non-existent $1.8 billion account balance. The state paid an outside accounting firm (AlixPartners) to prepare an independent report that confirmed the balance was not real and found that the vast majority of the issues originating in the Comptroller General’s office. For a full background on this issue, please read the last article on this issue.
The Senate Finance Committee has held several hearings over the past two years that would usually last for hours consisting of constant berating and questioning of the SC Treasurer’s Office, led by Senators Larry Grooms and Stephen Goldfinch. While the committee always requires the Treasurer and his office staff to be under oath, they never took an oath themselves.
While this hearing was presented as a court proceeding, it actualized as a kangaroo court. As pointed out by Loftis’ attorneys, witnesses, sworn testimony, and document authentication were not allowed. Instead, the “Senate presenters” were the two senators who have been after Loftis for years: Senator Larry Grooms and Senator Stephen Goldfinch.
Instead of offering a legitimate reason as to why Loftis has “willfully neglected” his duties during their presentations, Grooms and Goldfinch relied on false allegations attempting to malign Loftis’s character, stating that Loftis has “secrets,” “problems,” and is “unstable.” Grooms addressed Loftis’ many statements to his constituents stating that “Treasurer Loftis is a false witness, sending out deceiving messages to fool the public into believing things that aren’t true.”
Senator Goldfinch attempted to shift the proverbial scales of the Senate by telling the body that this hearing isn’t a court of law and therefore the same standard does not have to be met to remove Curtis Loftis as Treasurer. Instead, Goldfinch stated that the standard that must be met for Loftis’ removal is “if he committed any willful neglect.” Following this redirection, Goldfinch asked the Senators,” what does your gut tell you?”
The little “proof” the Senators did present were a couple of letters and video clips from committee hearings that were obviously taken out of context. Instead of providing the full context, Grooms and Goldfinch would narrate their preferred timeline and then quickly pop up a letter or video that provided “evidence” of their claim.
However, there was a clear contrast when Loftis and his team presented their arguments. Sean Eubanks, the general counsel for the Treasurer’s office stated that he would be “observing a higher standard” than Senator presenters. Eubanks stated that the evidence he was presenting would only be documents that had been authenticated and expert/first-hand witness testimony and affidavits. Before moving into his full presentation, Eubanks declared, “no speculating, only facts supported by evidence and testimony.”
During Treasurer Loftis’ speech, he spoke to the Senate Finance Committee that began what some have called a witch trial: “Over the last 18 months, I’ve endured accusations by a subcommittee determined to force my resignation through public ridicule. I think I’ve been called a liar 12 times that I can count today…I assure you that I remain resolute, I will not turn my back on the voters who elected me. I will not betray their trust. I took an oath and I intend to follow it.”
“This accounting issue is being used as a lever against me and the voters I represent. I’ve studied great men and women in history that arose up to the establishment, who stood up to the status quo. Martin Luther King…to my friend Donald Trump. They’ve all been repeatedly investigated and attacked because they stood up to the establishment.”
Loftis’ team made it clear that there is no mysterious bank account or missing/stolen money, as alleged by many Senators in the body. Once both sides presented, all 46 senators were allotted 10 minutes to question Treasurer Loftis.
During the hearing, Senators alleged a potential U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Treasurer Curtis Loftis. Loftis has denied this allegation, stating that the probe is only into the accounting error of the Comptroller General’s office.
It was clear during the questioning period that the majority of the Senate body had already made their minds up well before entering the hearing as they hyper-focused on issues that had been previously debunked by overwhelming evidence during the treasurer’s presentation and by the AlixPartners report. Some Senators just wanted the treasurer to take responsibility for it all, seemingly to make it easier for them to vote to remove him.
Senator Billy Garrett pleaded with Treasurer Loftis, “I just want you to accept responsibility for where you’re at, and if you do, it makes it a lot easier for us to deal with this in here.” Loftis responded, “I believe I did that earlier today.”
At the end of the hearing around 10pm, the Senate voted 33-8 to pass S.534, the resolution that uses Article XV, Section 3 of the South Carolina Constitution to remove the State Treasurer for “willful neglect of duty.” The only senators to vote against the resolution was Bennett, Climer, Corbin, Hembree, Martin, Massey, Reichanbach, and Zell.
Following the vote, hundreds (possibly thousands) of South Carolinians flooded the social medias of the senators who voted to remove Treasurer Loftis. Just check out the couple hundred comments on posts from Sen. Matt Leber and Sen. Josh Kimbrell for a litmus test. Days following the vote, constituents are still commenting on other posts senators have been making throughout the week, sharing their distain for the senators vote to remove Treasurer Loftis.
The citizens of South Carolina have overwhelmingly spoken. They do not want their elected Treasurer removed from office, as they do not hold him responsible for this accounting error.
S.534 must be passed by the SC House of Representatives before it goes to the state’s courts. S.534 is currently sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee for a hearing and passage.
What You Can Do
Contact the members of the House Ways and Means Committee and ask them to vote AGAINST S.534:
Nathan Ballentine - 803-734-2969
Bruce Bannister - 803-734-3144
Gilda Cobb-Hunter - 803-734-2809
Micajah “Micah” Caskey - 803-734-3113
William “Bill” Clyburn - 803-734-3033
Neal Collins - 803-212-6913
Heather Crawford - 803-212-6933
Chandra Dillard - 803-212-6791
Kevin Hardee - 803-212-6796
Jackie “Coach” Hayes - 803-734-3099
Lee Hewitt - 803-212-6927
Lonnie Hosey - 803-734-2829
Leon Howard - 803-734-3049
Steven Long - 803-212-6878
Phillip Lowe - 803-734-2975
Dennis Moss - 803-734-3073
Chris Murphy - 803-212-6925
Brandon Newton - 803-212-6874
Todd Rutherford - 803-734-9441
Leonidas “Leon” Stravrinakis - 803-734-3039
Bill Taylor - 803-212-6923
David Weeks - 803-734-3102
William “Bill” Whitmire - 803-734-3068
Mark Willis - 803-212-6882
Richard “Richie” Yow - 803-212-6949