Henry McMaster

Henry McMaster has faced several controversies and ethics-related issues during his career. In 2016, the South Carolina State Ethics Commission fined McMaster $5,100 and required him to repay $73,000 in contributions from his 2010 gubernatorial campaign after he was accused of collecting excessive campaign funds. In 2017, an internal audit from 2004 surfaced suggesting that while McMaster was chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party in 2000, political consultants facilitated a temporary infusion of $85,000 to the party's accounts to mask debt and negative balances, which were removed shortly after his re-election as chairman. McMaster has also faced scrutiny regarding his professional and political associations. He was a longtime client of political consultant Richard Quinn, whose firm was central to an extensive statehouse corruption investigation known as ProbeGate. While Quinn and other associates were indicted and faced various charges related to illegal lobbying and misconduct, McMaster was not charged, and he has consistently denied involvement in pay-to-play schemes. Additionally, in 2015, a federal lawsuit naming McMaster and others as defendants regarding alleged abuse of office and corruption was recommended for dismissal by a magistrate judge.