Investigation of campaign contributions In 2013, Wilson self-reported his campaign failed to report at least 84 contributions and expenditures on required public reports. In February 2013, Wilson originally admitted his campaign failed to disclose and report receiving at least 15 separate contributions of unknown amounts. A further investigation in March 2013 revealed at least 68 unreported contributions and 16 unreported expenditures. As the errors were self-reported and the reports were subsequently re-filed, Wilson faced no penalties.
False election-fraud claims On January 12, 2012, Wilson falsely claimed on
Fox News that "We found out that there were over 900 people who died and then subsequently voted. That number could be even higher than that."
Same-sex marriage In 2014, Wilson asked the
South Carolina Supreme Court to block the issuance of marriage licenses to
same-sex couples in the state. Wilson waged an exhaustive legal fight to block same-sex marriage in South Carolina, and in 2015, U.S. District Judge
Richard Gergel ordered Wilson to pay more than $134,000 in attorneys' fees to plaintiffs who successfully challenged the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Affordable Care Act litigation Wilson supported lawsuits to invalidate the Affordable Care Act.
Threatened litigation against DACA In July 2017, Texas Attorney General
Ken Paxton led a group of Republican attorneys general from nine other states, including Wilson, plus Idaho Governor
Butch Otter, in threatening that they would litigate against the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy that had been put into place by President
Barack Obama.
Corruption investigation In late 2013, a State Law Enforcement Division report focusing on former state House Speaker House
Bobby Harrell was transferred to the AG's office. The report mentioned state representatives Rick Quinn Sr. and
Rick Quinn Jr. suggesting misconduct by the younger Quinn. In early 2014, Wilson recused himself from the investigation and appointed David Pascoe, the solicitor for the 1st Judicial Circuit, as
special prosecutor. Harrell pleaded guilty and resigned from the House in late 2014. Pascoe urged the AG's Office to investigate the Quinns. In March 2016, after Pascoe continued to use the state grand jury to investigate possible corruption in the General Assembly, Wilson attempted to fire Pascoe, triggering a political firestorm in the state. Adam Piper, a Wilson aide, launched a secret effort to smear Pascoe. Pascoe challenged Wilson's attempt to fire him, arguing that the attorney general could not do so after previously recusing himself on the grounds of a conflict of interest. Ultimately, the younger Rick Quinn resigned from office and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, while the elder Quinn agreed to testify before the state grand jury, and his consulting firm pleaded guilty to failing to register as a lobbyist. The investigation and the report focused in part on Wilson's close ties to Richard Quinn, a prominent Republican political strategist in the state, and his son
Rick Quinn Jr., who had been a member of the state House. Wilson had paid the elder Quinn's firm more than $220,000 for political strategy services in two election campaigns. Meeting on Protecting Consumers from Social Media Abuse, 2020.
Environmental litigation In 2021, Wilson joined a Republican lawsuit challenging President Biden's order directing federal agencies to consider the costs of
greenhouse gas pollution in making decisions. Wilson also joined another lawsuit challenging Biden's decision to revoke the federal permit for the
Keystone XL Pipeline, an oil pipeline project 1,000 miles from South Carolina.
Abortion litigation A staunch
opponent of abortion, Wilson defended a state law banning most
abortions in South Carolina from a constitutional challenge. In 2021, Wilson joined a
U.S. Supreme Court filing calling on the Court to overturn
Roe v. Wade.
Opposition to cannabis decriminalization In January 2019, Wilson described
cannabis as "the most dangerous drug, because it is the most misunderstood drug" in the United States while denouncing legislation that would allow physicians to prescribe medical marijuana for patients. Wilson was one of 16 state attorneys general who did not support the
SAFE Banking Act, which permitted the use of the banking system by cannabis-related businesses in states and territories in which cannabis is legal. Wilson is the respondent of an ongoing lawsuit which alleges that Wilson and SLED denied him due process when they destroyed his hemp farm.
Efforts to challenge 2020 presidential election outcome In December 2020, Wilson joined a lawsuit by 16 Republican state attorneys general
urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the results of the
2020 presidential election, specifically by challenging
Joe Biden's victory in four states. The suit was based on
Donald Trump's false claim of election fraud. He said he was "completely unaware" of the Republican Attorneys General Association robocalls; the group's executive director, a former Wilson aide Adam Piper, resigned.
COVID-19 pandemic Wilson was one of 20 Republican state attorneys general who claimed that a portion of
President Biden's COVID-19 relief package (specifically, a provision that states could not redirect federal stimulus money to reduce state tax rates) was unconstitutional. In August 2021, ahead of the start of the 2021–2022 school year and amid an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state, Wilson said that the
University of South Carolina could not implement indoor mask requirements for campus access. Wilson contended that a proviso (a type of state budget measure) passed by the General Assembly earlier that year prohibited such a mandate. After Wilson's intervention, the university dropped the requirement. However, later the same month, the
South Carolina Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision that rejected Wilson's interpretation, ==Personal life==