Finally, the whole ugly mess was exposed in what was the biggest political scandal in South Carolina history. The bombshell federal investigation called Operation Lost Trust caught and convicted 17 lawmakers, seven lobbyists and three others for bribery, extortion or drug use. Lost Trust created an uproar and vociferous cries for reform. And that reform came. Campaign finance laws were passed in 1991 that ended the party atmosphere.
Lobbyists can still go to lunch with legislators, but it has to be Dutch treat.
Legislators can't even get a cup of coffee from lobbyists. But the state's biggest political scandal also turned out to be its longest. Five legislators were granted new trials in 1992 and 1993 because of legal errors. U.S. District Judge Falcon Hawkins then dismissed those charges in 1997 to punish prosecutors for what he called misconduct. In November, a federal appeals court exonerated prosecutors and reinstated the charges against three of the five former lawmakers.