2 South Carolina organizations file joint ethics complaint against Scout Motors

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Two organizations filed a complaint against Scout Motors Monday, requesting that the South Carolina State Ethics Commission investigate whether the company violated state ethics law.

Jointly filed by the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation (SCPIF), the complaint concerns a nearly $1.3 billion incentive package the company received last year for their electric-vehicle assembly plant that is under construction in Blythewood.

A spokesperson with Scout Motors said these allegations are “factually incorrect.”

The organizations are asking the commission to investigate if Scout Motors violated state law by failing to register as a lobbyist principal before the $1.3 billion was approved. SCPC said the company first registered as a lobbyist principal with the commission a month after the package went into effect on March 20, 2023.

A spokesperson with Scout Motors said: “Scout Motors did not have registered lobbyists in South Carolina before April 2023 because we were not lobbying. Scout Motors had no direct role in advancing the legislation that passed last year.”

Findings from the SCPC’s investigate news branch revealed meeting between Scout Motors officials and Governor McMaster or state lawmakers before Scout Motors registered.

The organizations listed a private meeting between a Scout Motors official and representatives of the Governor’s Office in October 2022 in Washington D.C., as well as two private events in February 2023: a private dinner at the Governor’s Mansion where both McMaster and Scout Motors CEO Scott Keough were present, and a private event at the Williams-Brice football stadium billed as a “Confidential Economic Development Dinner.”

The state law they accuse Scout Motors of violating is intended to provide the public with advance notice of companies or organizations that plan to persuade state lawmakers to adopt their legislative agendas.

WIS News 10 reached out to the Governor’s Office and has not yet heard back.

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