Gatch Led Push for Accountability in $3.5 Billion State Accounting Scandal

In 2023, South Carolina taxpayers learned that the state’s financial reports had overstated available cash by $3.5 billion over a decade due to accounting errors in the state’s books.

When the issue came to light, Representative Gil Gatch was the first to take action.

Concerned about the scale of the error and the erosion of public trust, Gatch filed a resolution directing the South Carolina House Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment inquiry into then Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom.

“This was a grave miscarriage of public trust,” Gatch said at the time. “If there was ever a reason for the House to exercise its authority to impeach, this rises to the top.”

The South Carolina Constitution gives the House the responsibility to investigate and impeach statewide officials for serious misconduct. Gatch’s resolution called on the House to fulfill that duty and ensure the public received full transparency about how such a massive reporting error went undisclosed for years.

As scrutiny intensified in the weeks following the resolution, Eckstrom ultimately resigned from office under mounting pressure from Gatch and others.

For Gatch, the issue was never about politics: it was about protecting taxpayers and restoring confidence in government.

“South Carolinians deserve transparency and accountability from the people entrusted with managing their tax dollars,” Gatch said.

The episode demonstrated a principle Gatch continues to carry into the State House today: public officials must be accountable to the people they serve.