By Staff
With less than three weeks until South Carolina’s June 9, 2026 partisan primaries, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette is the target of a new attack advertisement that accuses her of being a habitual liar, reigniting questions about past campaign messaging, her company’s ties to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work, and the activities of allied dark money groups.
The ad, described in local reporting, opens with a staged polygraph scene and the line, “In South Carolina, a lie is a betrayal,” before declaring that “with Pamela Evette, it’s a habit.” It alleges Evette ran and then pulled an advertisement claiming an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. The spot also criticizes Evette for profiting from DEI training through the Upstate firm she founded, Quality Business Solutions (QBS), and accuses Evette and allied groups of dishonest tactics directed at four‑term Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The ad says Evette ran an ad claiming Trump endorsed her and subsequently removed it after being caught.
It accuses Evette and QBS of promoting and selling DEI programming, including marketing services that could be used to meet diversity spending goals.
The spot further alleges Evette aligned dark money groups have misled the public and targeted Attorney General Alan Wilson with falsehoods.
Reporting and documentary record
Local reporting reproduces the ad’s text and describes its polygraph imagery and concluding tag line, “Pamela Evette just broke the lie detector.”
A prior investigative article documents QBS’s history of offering DEI‑related services and marketing material cited by critics. That piece also outlines timelines of ownership and promotional activity for the company.
Separately, local outlets reported that Patriots for South Carolina, a political group supporting Evette, was the subject of an IRS complaint alleging the organization had claimed qualified state or local political organization status and had not filed certain South Carolina reports it said it would file. Public confirmation or IRS action on that complaint was not available in the reporting.
Campaign response and disputes
Evette’s campaign pushed back strongly. Campaign manager Megan Finnern said opponents specifically supporters of Attorney General Alan Wilson are responsible for the misleading advertising, and denied that Evette ever claimed Trump’s endorsement or pulled any ad about it. The campaign also asserted Evette has opposed DEI initiatives.
Independent local coverage noted contention over ads that implied endorsements by Gov. Henry McMaster and Trump, local reporting indicates at least one ad was removed after criticism, though sources differ on who produced or authorized the ads and on whether explicit endorsement claims were made by Evette’s campaign.
Points of corroboration and evidentiary gaps
The contents of the attack ad and the campaign response are documented in multiple local reports, including visual descriptions and quoted lines from the spot.
QBS material referencing DEI programming and related services appears in archived marketing and in reporting, but there is dispute over whether those materials reflect Evette’s actions or the practices of QBS after she divested control; timelines of ownership and when specific materials were posted are consequential and contested.
The IRS complaint concerning Patriots for South Carolina is reported by local outlets, however, public IRS confirmation or additional independent reporting on the complaint’s status or outcome was not found in available sources.
Major national fact checking organizations had not published rulings on the specific claims as of this reporting; independent verification of a pulled ad explicitly claiming a Trump endorsement is limited to state and local coverage and statements from involved campaigns and groups.
What remains unresolved
Whether Evette herself authorized or ran an ad that explicitly claimed a Trump endorsement, and whether such an ad was later pulled, cannot be independently confirmed from available public archives; Evette’s campaign denies the allegation.
The extent to which DEI related marketing by QBS should be attributed to Evette personally depends on the timing of postings and the date she transferred ownership; reporting shows pro DEI material associated with QBS but includes campaign claims that she divested before some content appeared.
The status and implications of the IRS complaint against Patriots for South Carolina remain unclear in public records cited by local reporting.
The ad adds intensity to a crowded GOP primary in South Carolina, where questions about endorsements, outside spending and political messaging have become central political flash points. As the June 9 primary approaches, voters and watchdogs will be watching for additional documentation archived ads, campaign disclosures, PAC filings and any regulatory actions that could confirm or refute the competing claims.
If you’d like, I can attempt to locate archived video of the contested ads, pull QBS marketing snapshots with dates, or search for state PAC filings and IRS records to pursue the unresolved items.
Sources:
https://www.live5news.com/2025/09/26/sc-lt-gov-pamela-evettes-campaign-responds-calls-take-down-ads/
https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/09/29/pamela-evettes-pac-pulled-henry-mcmaster-endorsement/
https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/05/20/crossroads-2026-pamela-evette-blasted-in-new-lie-detector-ad/