Topline
Former President Donald Trump endorsed incumbent South Carolina GOP chairman Drew McKissick’s reelection Tuesday over pro-Trump attorney L. Lin Wood, distancing himself from the far-right lawyer and fierce loyalist who spread baseless conspiracy theories about the election and tried to overturn the presidential election result to Trump’s benefit.
Key Facts
Wood, a well-known defamation attorney who gained notoriety for his outlandish behavior following the election, announced Sunday night he intended to run for chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party against McKissick.
Trump, who the Post and Courier reported Monday had already endorsed McKissick, doubled down on that endorsement in a new statement Tuesday, saying the incumbent has done an “outstanding job” and “has my complete and total endorsement for re-election!”
Trump previously praised Wood as doing a “good job” with his lawsuits trying to overturn the election results and met with him at the White House, and Wood told the New York Times he had spoken with the then-president about election “fraud and illegality” on multiple occasions.
Trump’s team has previously distanced themselves from Wood: Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis said she did not support conspiracy theories Wood spread on Twitter about former Vice President Mike Pence, and a Trump campaign Twitter account posted a negative article about Wood after he suggested Republicans should not vote in the Georgia runoff elections due to alleged fraud.
Wood continues to support the former president, writing on Telegram Sunday he “remain[s] steadfastly loyal to President Trump” and his “support has never wavered.”
Wood has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Key Background
Wood, 68, was known before the election for representing such high-profile clients as Richard Jewell and the parents of JonBenet Ramsey. Since his post-election campaign, however, he has faced growing consequences for spreading outlandish election fraud theories and leading failed election lawsuits seeking to overturn the results in battleground states. Wood is being investigated by state bar associations in Georgia and Arizona, and the Georgia investigation could potentially result in his law license being revoked on the grounds of “mental illness, cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse, or substance abuse.” He has also been dropped from a case in Delaware unrelated to the election and as Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann’s attorney. Mercer Law School is also facing pressure to remove Wood’s name from a courtroom at the school, and Wood was banned from Twitter after alleging the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building was “staged.”
Tangent
In addition to Wood, Trump has reportedly cut ties with attorney Rudy Giuliani, with advisor Jason Miller saying in February the former president’s longtime lawyer was “not currently” representing Trump “in any legal matters.” The Trump White House also distanced itself after the election from attorney Sidney Powell–who Wood partnered with on a number of post-election lawsuits and is now helping to represent in a defamation case from Dominion Voting Systems—though Trump himself reportedly wanted to appoint her as a special counsel to investigate voter fraud.
Further Reading
Controversial Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood Running To Lead South Carolina GOP (Forbes)
Trump’s Legal Allies Attack Each Other After Lin Wood Tweets Wild Conspiracies (Forbes)
Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood To Sue Georgia State Bar For Trying To Take Away Law License (Forbes)
Trump Campaign Burns Pro-Trump Attorney Telling Trump Voters To Boycott Georgia Runoff (Forbes)
"wood" - Google News
March 31, 2021 at 03:09AM
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Trump Turns On Controversial Attorney Lin Wood And Endorses Opponent - Forbes
"wood" - Google News
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