South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson told Lexington locals that his office has more duties than one may think.

At the Sept. 9 Business Over Breakfast event hosted by the Lexington Chamber and Visitors Center, Wilson spoke to attendees about his office’s efforts to prevent fentanyl deaths and human trafficking in South Carolina. He also talked about lesser-known duties his office takes on, as well as his candidacy for governor.

“[The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office] has about 350 staff, 90 lawyers managing roughly 8,000 cases at any given time,” he said. “The office is very powerful, and as the chief legal officer, I’m the only one who can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the state. I’m the only one who can defend the state when the state is sued.”

He also said he manages solicitors’ dockets as well as the Post-Conviction Relief unit. According to his office’s website, a PCR proceeding is when “the general process surrounding the conviction, such as counsel’s representation, the actions of the prosecutors, or other aspects of the criminal proceeding” is challenged.

The office also has a State Grand Jury, which is involved in high-profile cases, such as the Alex Murdaugh case. Toward the end of Wilson's presentation, an attendee asked for an update on the Murdaugh case appeal.

“There is enough of an appeal involving the Clerk of Court down there in Colleton County,” Wilson said. “I assigned that to our local solicitor, Rick Hubbard, who’s handling that case. They have appealed based on the conduct of the Clerk of Court. Mr. Murdaugh has pled guilty to all the financial crimes and received 27 years in prison, so that is a backstop on the murder. I don’t presume to know what a court would do. I am guardedly optimistic that based on what I have seen firsthand, I was there in real time, and I observed the conduct that the defense is alleging should call for a mistrial. I do not believe there should be a mistrial. We are going to aggressively defend our case on appeal. … Should we not prevail, the office is prepared to try the case again, but he is not getting out of prison.”

Wilson also talked to locals about his office’s involvement in drug prevention, emphasizing the prevalence of fentanyl and how deadly it is.

“The thing that probably scares me the most is fentanyl,” he said before listing another area of law enforcement his office is heavily involved in: human trafficking prevention.

According to his office’s website, Wilson chairs a task force addressing human trafficking in the state in collaboration with federal, state and local agencies.

“We started with 15 members,” he told locals. “We now have over 2,000. … We are working human trafficking cases all over the state of South Carolina."

After adding that his office also has an opinions division, which the governor, members of the General Assembly, other elected government officials, state agencies, or people appointed to serve on boards and commissions, can gather legal advice from, an attendee asked Wilson about his bid to become South Carolina’s next governor.

“As attorney general, I have been well-situated to see lots of problems in government that the attorney general is not equipped to deal with,” he said, adding that he wants to be able to eliminate “fraud, waste and abuse” in the government. “The governor has a broader platform [and] has the ability to put personnel in positions of power. … I’ve always had an interest in economic development. I’ve always had an interest in various policies, so as I’ve travelled the state, I have really developed a unique interest in going to a broader platform.”

He went on to say that if elected, he will prioritize eliminating the state income tax, reforming property taxes, revitalizing infrastructure, growing the energy grid and investing in education.

South Carolina’s primary elections are June 9.

Wilson, 52, is a four-term Republican attorney general from Lexington County.