early and awkward

Nikki Haley, Candidate for South Carolina Governor, Denies Affair With Blogger

We keep thinking South Carolina politics can’t get any weirder, and we keep being wrong. A prominent conservative political blogger there and former spokesman for Mark Sanford, Will Folks, divulged on his blog FITSNews today that he had an affair three years ago with Nikki Haley, a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for governor. Well, she had the affair; Folks says he wasn’t married yet. One might assume that Folks is simply trying to derail a candidate he doesn’t support, but he actually calls Haley “the one S.C. gubernatorial candidate who, in my opinion, would most consistently advance the ideals I believe in.”

The real reason, at least according to Folks — we really have no idea what to make of all of this — is that the media was going to drop the bombshell soon anyway.

[W]ithin the last forty-eight hours several pieces of information which purportedly document a prior physical relationship between myself and Rep. Haley have begun to be leaked slowly, piece by piece, to members of the mainstream media. I am told that at least one story based upon this information will be published this week. Watching all of this unfold, I have become convinced that the gradual release of this information is deliberately designed to advance this story in the press while simultaneously forcing either evasive answers or denials on my part or on Nikki’s part.

I refuse to play that game. I refuse to have someone hold the political equivalent of a switch-blade in front of my face and just sit there and watch as they cut me to pieces.

Haley, for her part, denies that anything of the sort has ever taken place. “I have been 100% faithful to my husband throughout our 13 years of marriage,” she said in a statement. “This claim against me is categorically and totally false.” Well, obviously she’s going to say that. Who would admit to having an affair with a blogger? Seriously, even we’re embarrassed for her.

Will Folks: Letting The Chips Fall [FITS News]
Nikki Haley denies claim of affair with blogger, fmr. Sanford aide [WIS TV]

Nikki Haley, Candidate for South Carolina Governor, Denies Affair With Blogger