ATLANTA (AP) – State election officials are investigating whether one of the most outspoken proponents of the allegation that the presidential election was stolen through widespread electoral fraud had moved to another state before voting in Georgia last fall.
The office of Georgia’s secretary of state opened an investigation on Tuesday over where Lin Lin, the lawyer, is living, according to the investigative case sheet. Wood was listed as a resident of Fulton County and personally voted for Georgia in the November presidential election, according to records on the agency’s website.
The secretary of state’s office opened the investigation after learning from a television reporter that Wood may have been living in South Carolina when he voted in the November general election, according to a senior official in the secretary of state’s office. The official asked the Associated Press not to be named due to security concerns after the secretary and his team received threats for the conduct of the election.
Wood himself announced the change on social media on Monday, without mentioning the exact timing at first.
“LATEST NEWS! I moved my legal residence from the state of Georgia to the state of South Carolina!” he posted on Telegram. “South Carolina welcomed me. Georgia falsely accused me and avoided me. I am thrilled with my move.”
WSB-TV first reported on the investigation. The station said Wood had e-mailed one of his reporters, saying he was “domiciled in South Carolina for several months after buying a property in the state in April”. The reporter provided a screenshot of the email to the AP.
Wood denied this in a text exchange with the AP on Wednesday, saying that the suggestion that he told the station or his reporter that he had been “domiciled” in South Carolina last year “is not accurate.”
“While I spent time in South Carolina in 2020, I considered myself domiciled in Georgia and residing in Georgia at all times in 2020,” wrote Wood. He said he personally voted in Georgia on October 21 for the general election, but did not vote in the Senate’s second round in January.
Wood also criticized the investigation in another Telegram post on Tuesday, calling Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “a loser”.
“I just yesterday announced my move to South Carolina EFFECTIVE yesterday, February 1st!” He wrote. “Until yesterday, residing in Georgia since 1955. Ha! The enemy’s attacks are getting weaker and weaker.”
Georgia law says that a person’s residence is to be considered “the place where that person’s dwelling is fixed, with no present intention of removal”. It also says that if a person moves to another state “with the intention of making it that person’s residence, that person will be considered to have lost that person’s residence in that state”.
Wood is also being examined by the Georgia State Bar, which said it “is carrying out an investigation” about Wood. The state bar rule cited as the basis for the investigation says that if your disciplinary board finds that a lawyer can be “harmed or incapacitated to practice law” as a result of mental illness, cognitive impairment or substance abuse, the board can make a decision. confidential recommendation to an appropriate mental health professional or physician for evaluation.
Wood said on Telegram that he is “sound-minded”, has not violated any rules of professional conduct and will fight at the state bar in court if necessary.
Wood has long been known for his representation of high-profile clients – including Richard Jewell, who was unjustly accused in the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta – particularly in defamation cases.
Wood insisted that Donald Trump actually won the election, but was armed for him to lose. He filed lawsuits on his own and with attorney Sidney Powell, who continued to fight for Trump even after she was removed from his legal team. Wood and Powell were criticized by Republican leaders after they encouraged Georgia voters not to vote in the second round of the United States Senate. Wood and Powell claimed that the second round would be defrauded and questioned Republican David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler’s loyalty to Trump before their defeats put the Senate in Democratic control.
State and federal officials have said repeatedly that there was no evidence of widespread electoral fraud in Georgia or any other state, and dozens of lawsuits making such allegations have been rejected by the courts.
Last year, an LLC linked to Wood purchased three plantations totaling more than $ 16 million in Beaufort County, South Carolina, a coastal area south of Charleston popular with retirees, known for its low-lying swamps.
According to The Island Packet of Hilton Head, Wood recognized the formation of The Tomotley Crew LLC, through which it purchased more than 2,000 acres in the area, including the Tomotley Plantation. The $ 7.9 million property on more than 1,000 acres includes a 14-acre lake and half-mile inlets lined with oak trees that were planted in 1820.
“Let’s just say that between Lowcountry and Georgia, I just found Lowcountry, South Carolina, much more attractive in terms of residency,” Wood told the newspaper in an article published on Wednesday, noting that he would continue to practice law in Atlanta desk.
Wood told the newspaper that he intends to preserve the land and is studying projects, including the construction of a chapel, a puppy rescue facility and a children’s camp.
“I want to try to do good things for other people,” said Wood. “And I hope everyone will find out that I am a good neighbor and a good citizen of South Carolina.”