COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – The South Carolina Treasurer defended his actions to a House committee Wednesday, amid calls for his resignation.

Lawmakers are investigating what was thought to be a $1.8 billion accounting error.

The budget hearing turned into a questioning of Treasurer Curtis Loftis about the mysterious $1.8 billion, the first time he’s been questioned since a new report was released.

An independent financial accounting firm, Alix Partners, released a report which states the $1.8 billion never fully existed and was just an accounting error.

During questioning Wednesday, Loftis told the Constitutional Ways and Means Subcommittee that he felt this had turned into a political witch hunt because all the money is there.

“Everybody says what money is missing, where did it go and who got it, and that none of it happened and that this is an accounting entry,” Loftis said. “They are out raged. I’m getting calls from all over the world.”

Representative Micah Caskey said one big issue is since the people involved never reported the error, taxpayers are spending millions of dollars to solve the issue.

“We are spending millions of taxpayer dollars to address a problem that could have been raised by you or your office years ago, and when those voters went to the ballot box to elect you for the fourth time they didn’t know,” Caskey said.

Loftis said everyone is missing the big picture about the well-being of South Carolinians.

“It ain’t Curtis, it ain’t Richard, it ain’t George, the big picture is can we build a hospital. That’s the big picture and we’re not looking at that,” Loftis said. “We have allowed people to go off and create a false narrative. We can’t build hospitals in this state. Micah, do you understand what I’m saying to you.”

Comptroller General, Brian Gaines said Wednesday, Loftis’s office had control of the account where the error occurred.

“Fund 30350093 is in exclusive authority of the State Treasurer’s Office,” Gaines said.

Loftis said his office has been trying to reach the independent auditors for a private briefing but have had no response.

Former Comptroller General, Richard Eckstrom, resigned in 2023 after the accounting error was discovered. State Auditor George Kennedy III resigned last week.