Jim Smith Federal Vet Contracts Faulted

The VA barred a Democrat running for governor from receiving agency contracts after an audit found he may have misused his disabled-veteran status

Smith’s campaign said the decision was overturned but won’t say on what grounds

Smith is a representative in the state legislature, serves in the National Guard, runs a law firm, and owns and manages a business

A Democrat running for governor on his military and small business bona fides may have used his disabled veteran status to obtain government contracts and then hand off the work to non-veteran owned entities, a government audit found.

James Smith, a candidate for South Carolina governor in the state’s June 12 primary election, is a representative in the state legislature, serves in the National Guard, and runs a law firm in Columbia. He also finds time to operate the Congaree Group, a small company that has received millions of dollars in federal contracts. The company operates out of the same office as his law firm.

The firm boasted the capability to do everything from distributing pharmaceuticals to parking hundreds of cars per day as part of valet services at massive hospitals — all with Smith telling Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials he was its only employee, a 2013 document from the VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) shows, which TheDCNF obtained.

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