Exhibit 6 — Pay to Play
Alan Wilson's Office Was Open for Business, If the Price Was Right
Wilson sat down with the corporations writing the checks, at the Republican Attorneys General Association's request. Then the checks arrived. Every time.
Public records show how it worked. In September 2020, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) asked Wilson to meet with an executive from TruGreen, a lawn company facing a lawsuit over the safety of its chemicals, and to thank the company “for their generous support” after it had donated $20,000 to RAGA in 2019. In July 2021, Wilson met with two UPS lobbyists at RAGA's request, with a briefing note reminding him their membership had lapsed. Three days later, UPS donated $15,000 to RAGA.13 TruGreen kept giving too, donating another $15,000 to RAGA in 2021 and $25,000 in 2022.24
When payday lenders went to the U.S. Supreme Court to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Wilson signed on to their side. After the suit was filed, payday lenders and banks regulated by that bureau gave RAGA more than $3.2 million. Wilson's own campaigns have taken about $41,000 from payday and title lenders.14
The list goes on. His campaigns have taken $14,000 from Altria while his office enforces the tobacco settlement, and $8,000 from Las Vegas Sands while his office enforces South Carolina's gambling laws.8