Interviewer concealing S.C. 'raghead' tape did work for Rep. Joe Wilson

On yesterday's episode of Pub Politics, a South Carolina politics webcast co-hosted by conservatives Phil Bailey and Wes Donehue, GOP State Sen. Jake Knotts reportedly said this as a swipe at gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley.

We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor’s mansion.

Video of the interview has been kept offline since its initial broadcast. In a statement, Bailey and Donehue say that "what Senator Knotts said on Thursday’s show does not fit with our program and its goals." Conveniently for Knotts -- who has been condemned by state Republicans anyway -- the lack of the video prevents the story from taking on more steam. What's interesting about this is that Knotts is a close political ally of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) -- and Donehue, according to FEC reports, has done work for Wilson.

Below the fold is a screenshot of Wilson's last FEC report, which shows that Donehue's firm received $3991.17 from the congressman -- whose campaign fund swelled after his 2009 "you lie!" outburst during President Obama's second address to Congress -- for web consulting and web development. Wilson's connection to Knotts is much stronger, as the state senator took his seat after Wilson left it to run for Congress; the two of them have been political allies for more than a decade.

Depending on how you want to read it, Donehue's decision to stash away the damaging tape of Knotts is an act of civility, a favor to a Republican who's in some hot water of his own boiling, or both.