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<h2> <strong>Speaker has made false claims about 2020 election </strong></h2>
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<p>&nbsp;<strong>By Mike McCombs&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>A digital flier is circulating advertising an Audit The SC 2020 Vote Rally to be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 30 at the Olde Beaufort Golf Club at 139 Francis Marion Circle.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The advertisement lists former U.S. Army Captain Seth Keshel as the featured speaker.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Interested attendees are asked to confirm attendance by email to HELENLPS123@gmail.com.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>According to fact-checks by The Associated Press and USA Today, Keshel, billed on the flier as an #intelpatriot, has produced a state-by-state “report” cited by far-right conservatives as evidence former President Donald Trump won several states that he lost in the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won.</p>
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<p>The Associated Press assessed the report as “false.”</p>
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<p>“This report, which bases its claims on assumptions related to voting and registration trends, provides no proof of fraud,” The Associated Press’ Ali Swenson wrote earlier this month.</p>
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<p>University of Georgia political scientist Trey Hood reviewed the report and told The Associated Press, “This is certainly no method for uncovering voter fraud. It doesn’t show anything. There are myriad reasons why someone chooses to turn out to vote or not to turn out to vote or who to vote for. I wouldn’t even call it a gross simplification. It’s just nothing.”</p>
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<p>The complete AP fact-check report can be found at <a href="https://bit.ly/3yk55r4">https://bit.ly/3yk55r4</a>. A similar assessment by USA Today can be found at <a href="https://bit.ly/3B7EAHe">https://bit.ly/3B7EAHe</a>.</p>
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<p>Also on the bill are “special guests” Lin Wood, Jeff Davis and Laurie Zapp.</p>
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<p>Wood is a highly successful Atlanta attorney specializing in defamation lawsuits. His clients have included Richard Jewell, wrongly accused of being the Olympic Park bomber, and John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of murder victim JonBenet Ramsey.</p>
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<p>A resident of Beaufort County – he purchased Tomotley Plantation near Sheldon in 2020 – Wood has drawn controversy in recent years, litigating in numerous failed lawsuits on President Trump’s behalf, claiming the 2020 election was stolen. He suggested Vice President Mike Pence should face a firing squad and Speaker of the House Mitch McConnell should be arrested for treason.</p>
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<p>Laurie Zapp is a Beaufort County resident who has previously raised concerns about voter fraud as a result of dead voters on South Carolina voter rolls.</p>
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<p>Jeff Davis is the Chairman of the Greenville (S.C.) County Republican Party.</p>
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<p>A note of interest – the Republican ticket of former President Trump and Vice President Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, 55.11 percent (1,385,103 votes) to 43.43 percent (1,091,541 votes) in the 2020 election.</p>
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<p><em>Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.</em></p>
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