Haley Can't Back Up Drug Test Claims

Speaking to the Lexington Rotary Club on Sept. 8, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley said her administration was looking seriously at the possibility of drug testing people seeking unemployment benefits.

It had been a plank of her campaign in 2010. , Haley said a drug testing measure could save the state money and ultimately lighten the unemployment-tax load on businesses, as well as create more accountability among beneficiaries and provide more incentive for them to seek work.

To drive home her point, Haley said that half the applicants for hundreds of positions at the Savannah River Site near Aiken had tested positive for drugs.

The only problem was, it wasn't true.

After making national news for her comments, and then being called on the fallacy, Haley on Monday told the Associated Press she couldn't back up the claim, saying she had placed her faith in what people had told her while campaigning at the nuclear processing facility last year.

The governor said Monday she would be more careful from now on.

"I've never felt like I had to back up what people tell me. You assume that you're given good information," Haley told the AP. "And now I'm learning through you guys that I have to be careful before I say something."

However, Haley still said she wants drug tests tied to unemployment benefits, and a revamped job skills program to help address the state's unemployment rate, which is among the very worst in the nation.

The state's unemployment rate hit a record 11.1 percent in August, up from 10.9 percent in July.