Trump lawyer Lin Wood to run for South Carolina GOP chair

Lin Wood, the defamation and personal injury lawyer who took up former President Trump’s baseless accusations of election fraud, will run to lead the South Carolina Republican Party less than a month after moving to the Palmetto State from his home base in Georgia.

In an email late Sunday, Wood confirmed that he would seek to oust Chairman Drew McKissick, who has run the South Carolina Republican Party since 2017.

“A compelling reason for my decision to run for Chair of the South Carolina Party is that it is time for the leadership of the Party to recognize and appreciate the amazing Patriots stepping up to get involved in the party — this is NOT the time to take actions to exclude them,” Wood said in an email. He cited a dispute over control of a local Republican Party organization in Horry County, home of Myrtle Beach. 

“I am no fan of government corruption. Check my record. I am no fan of rule breakers as I believe strongly in the rule of law. Check my record. I detest shady back room deals as I support shining light on darkness. Check my record. I want to help my new neighbors in South Carolina return the Republican Party back to The People. The People have ALL the power — not the elite cabal of the old guard leadership. The People of the South Carolina Republican Party will bring INTEGRITY back to the party and to the government. I trust We The People. It will be my privilege to work for The People as they pursue their goals,” Wood said in the email.

Wood, 68, became a key member of Trump’s legal team in the weeks and months after Trump lost to President Biden. Wood repeatedly signed on to litigation that was summarily dismissed in court after court for lacking any credible evidence.

He also became a spreader of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory while at the same time encouraging Republicans to sit out a runoff election in Georgia in which both incumbent Republican senators lost their seats to Democrats.

Though he grew up in Georgia, he is under investigation for voter fraud in the Peach State after he told a reporter he had moved to South Carolina before November’s election.