Gov. Haley Blasts Questions About Daughter’s Job

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is blasting The State newspaper for reporting that her daughter has a summer job with the state and questioning whether the teen benefited from nepotism.

"The State newspaper . . . should be ashamed for printing details of a 14-year-old’s life and whereabouts, against the wishes of her parents and the request of the chief of SLED, who is ultimately responsible for her security,” Haley’s spokesman, Rob Godfrey, said in a statement to the newspaper. SLED is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

The spokesman declined to address the nepotism issue, saying, “We have nothing more to say.”

Rena Haley, 14, has a job at the State House gift shop, which is run by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. The agency’s director, Duane Parrish, is appointed by Haley, the newspaper said.

Godfrey told The Post and Courier of Charleston that Rena Haley works 20 to 25 hours per week and is paid $8 per hour, the same amount as any other entry-level worker. He said no other workers’ hours were trimmed or adjusted to make room for the teen.