According to the public record, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) appears to have a part-time staffer on his payroll at nearly $100,000 a year, a pay rate which has been used by Democratic election challenger Rob Miller as evidence against Wilson's claim of fiscal conservatism.
The high salary to Butch Wallace, who is listed in official payroll records as a "part-time employee" but is listed as Wilson's district director on the lawmaker's website, has become an issue in the South Carolina House race.
Last year, Wallace earned $99,940 as a staffer in Wilson's office. If the part-time designation is correct, Wallace is only allowed to work the equivalent of 15 full days in any month. Wallace is also an insurance agent for State Farm Insurance. On his website, Wallace says he is Wilson's "current Finance Chairman."
However, in a recent debate between the two candidates, Wilson said Wallace works full-time for his office and part-time for State Farm.
The part-time designation comes from the official record, the Statement of Disbursements of the House. However, errors do occur in the official record. Occasionally staffers are listed with incorrect titles or a title may change without being reflected in the record. To our knowledge, no other public record exists to sort out the conflict between Wilson's claim and the salary records.
Wallace's outside profession of insurance means he is limited in the amount he can make from Wilson's office. No senior staffer earning more than a certain salary threshold - $119,554 in 2010 - is allowed to engage in any outside profession requiring a "fiduciary" duty to a client, as is the case with insurance.
