Awkward looks all around
Politico broke the news that Judge McBurney ruled the GAGOP-funded attorneys for the alternative electors cannot represent both Chairman David Shafer and the other 10 alternative electors simultaneously. From the order:
Given the information before the Court about his role in establishing and convening the slate of alternate electors, his communications with other key players in the District Attorney’s investigation, and his role in other postelection efforts to call into question the validity of the official vote count in Georgia, the Court finds that he is substantively differently situated from the other ten clients jointly represented by Pierson and Debrow. His signed waiver may be identical, but his situation is not. He is not just another alternate elector; his lawyers’ repeated incantation of the “lawfulness” of the 2020 alternate electoral scheme and invocation of a separate electoral process from 60 years ago and 4,500 miles away do not apply to the additional postelection actions in which Shafer engaged that distinguish him from the ten individuals with whom he shares counsel. His fate with the special purpose grand jury (and beyond) is not tethered to the other ten electors in the same manner in which those ten find themselves connected.
McBurney Order, Page 5
This has to create an uncomfortable set of looks among the parties. Thus far, the GAGOP has paid at least $70,015.80 to the two attorney representing the alternate electors according to FEC and state ethics filings. We say at least because there is likely more and we didn’t go through each and every filing.
That is a lot of booty. More importantly, that’s a lot of slush funding that some electors – either Shafer or the other alternates – won’t have access to any longer. Someone’s getting screwed, and we’re guessing the chairman is not looking out for anyone except the ol’ Number 1.
The Honorable Former State Representative Turned Lobbyist Promoted to Editor-in-Chief Before Becoming Owner of Peach Pundit and I like to laugh about my name quite a bit. Grifting can come honestly. Shafer is pathologically dishonest. Shafer sits on a throne of lies larger than a department store Santa Claus and others are going to suffer for it.
This also has larger implications on the coming convention cycle. The Honorable Former State Representative Turned Lobbyist Promoted to Editor-in-Chief Before Becoming Owner of Peach Pundit has already started the rumor mill about who is running. There are also rumors about who is running down ticket. This convention cycle is already going to be miserable, and this may just add to the misery by forcing Shafer into the desperate act of running for a third and final term.
Shafer would be wise to not run. Yet, only he knows what he’ll do. The only thing we all know for sure at this moment is that their attorneys are no longer theirs. The attorneys are on his side or theirs, and that is definitely where the prosecutors in Fulton County want them.
