Todd Kincannon

J. Todd Kincannon
Born James John Todd Kincannon
(1981-06-12) June 12, 1981
Education University of South Carolina School of Law
Occupation Attorney, political activist, election worker
Known for Political commentary
Religion Southern Baptist
Spouse(s) Ashely Suzanne Griffith

J. Todd Kincannon (born June 12, 1981) is an attorney and political activist known for his statements made regarding political issues and current events. His license to practice law was suspended in August 2015.

Early life and education

Kincannon earned a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2007, where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review, the Order of the Barristers, and the Moot Court.

Career

Kincannon briefly held the position of executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, resigning after three months.[1]

Court cases

Kincannon has been involved in a variety of high-profile election protests[2][3] in South Carolina, several of which have been appealed to the South Carolina Supreme Court. The most notable of these is Gecy v. Bagwell, 642 S.E.2d 569 (S.C. 2007),.[4][5] This case was argued before the South Carolina Supreme Court, which unanimously reversed the circuit court order and affirmed the order of the Simpsonville Election Commission which ordered a new election.[6] Another notable election protest involving Kincannon was Horton v. Elliott,[7][8] where Kincannon was qualified as an expert witness with respect to election practices and procedures. In Horton v. Elliott, Kincannon offered extensive expert testimony as to the requirements of the Voting Rights Act and the standards for overturning elections in South Carolina.[9]

Public comments

Public statements on Ebola

During the Ebola epidemic of 2014, Kincannon made public his belief that all people infected with the disease (including US citizens) should immediately be executed:

"The protocol for a positive Ebola test should be immediate humane execution and sanitization of the whole area. That will save lives." [10] "There's just no other way with Ebola. We need to be napalming villages from the air right now." [11] "People with Ebola in the US need to be humanely put down immediately"[11]

Via Twitter
2013

A number of media outlets detailed a range of inflammatory messages he posted to his Twitter account[12][13] in 2013, which include mocking Florida shooting victim Trayvon Martin[14] and saying that transgender people should be placed in a concentration-style camp.[1][15][16] He also posted to his Twitter account that it was "a shame" that Michael Prysner, an Iraq war veteran turned anti-war organizer, "didn't come home in a body bag."[17] His Twitter account was suspended in late 2013.[12][18]

2014

In early 2014, he created a new Twitter account named "Todd__Kincannon", on which he allegedly made sexist and homophobic statements, many referencing Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis in defamatory ways.[19][20][21] The traditionalist conservative author Rod Dreher highlighted tweets in which Kincannon, identifying himself as a Southern Baptist, labeled Dreher (who is Eastern Orthodox) a "papist" and compared infant baptism to Chinese water torture.[22] He also received backlash for boasting to the father of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl that he would attempt to convince the attorney general to pursue capital punishment for his son.[23] In September 2014, Kincannon tweeted that football player Ray Rice was justified in beating his fiancé.[24] In October of the same year, Kincannon posted a series of tweets advocating the murder of anyone contracting the Ebola virus, and blaming "the people of Africa" for its spread: "They could stop eating each other and learn calculus at any time".[25]

Alleged domestic abuse

On March 28, 2015, the alternative weekly Charleston City Paper reported that on March 26, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department dispatched to the Kincannon residence in response to "a possible domestic incident." According to the police report, Kincannon and his wife Ashely Griffith got into a fight in their car. When Griffith attempted to exit the vehicle in a Chick-fil-A parking lot, Kincannon allegedly grabbed Griffith's arm and accelerated, to which Griffith rolled down the window in hopes a bystander would hear and intervene. She then proceeded to make calls to her mother, and attempted to make an open-line 9-1-1 call. The report further stated Kincannon "threatened he would drive the car into a concrete barrier if the cops became involved" and "threatened to kill himself if Ashely left." Griffith told authorities their relationship has "a history of unreported domestic violence," including threats of suicide and threats of physical harm to Griffith and her family.[26]

In response to the suicide threats, officers sent Kincannon to the Lexington Medical Center for further evaluation.[26]

In the police report, Kincannon denied grabbing his wife's arm and threatening to kill himself. While he admitted to "erratic behavior" and to the statement that Griffith had asked to get out of the vehicle, he claimed she changed her mind when he pulled into the Chick-fil-A parking lot. In response to the allegations, Kincannon claimed his behavior was a side effect of benzonatate, which he was prescribed for an upper respiratory infection. He told the Charleston City Paper, "I went completely crazy after taking it. I don’t even remember all of it. My wife called 911 because she was worried about me and my behavior was way out of character and erratic, and she was afraid for her safety and mine."[26]

When asked about Griffith's statement to police regarding a history of domestic abuse, Kincannon responded, "No clue. My wife says she only discussed stuff that happened since I'd been on the benzonatate, which hadn't been very long."[26]

According to FITSNews, many sources close to the couple have been concerned for Griffith's welfare. One friend attributed the relationship between Kincannon and Griffith as "toxic" while another source described Kincannon as "the type who’d show up somewhere and pull her out by her hair." A former SCGOP staffer defended him, describing him as not "a bad guy, maybe just a little off," but that Griffith "doesn't have anything to fear from him."[27]

On April 6, 2015, Kincannon was arrested in Lexington, SC.[28]

Revocation of Law License

Kincannon had his license to practice law revoked on August 28, 2015 by the South Carolina Supreme Court.[29] The revocation generated from Kincannon's engaging in unbecoming antics in court and sending a variety of threatening and disturbing emails and faxes to people related to the court processes.[30]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Eliza Shapiro (2013-03-28). "South Carolina Republicans Distance Themselves From Todd Kincannon". Daily Beast.
  2. ↑ Simpsonville to probe election protests, Greenville News, December 15, 2003.
  3. ↑ State Republican officials tackle Selby-Trout protest, Greenville News, July 10, 2004.
  4. ↑ Decision on election still several days off, Greenville News, November 17, 2005.
  5. ↑ Gecy v. Bagwell was designated by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a "Case of the Month."
  6. ↑ Court orders new Simpsonville election, Greenville News, February 20, 2007.
  7. ↑ Carey in; Elliott, Horton headed back to voters, Camden Chronicle-Independent, December 11, 2006. [DEAD LINK]
  8. ↑ Horton protests Recent District 6 special election, Camden Chronicle-Independent, April 21, 2007. [DEAD LINK]
  9. ↑ Transcript of April 23, 2007 Hearing, Horton v. Elliott.
  10. ↑ "Former GOP Official Suggests Executing Ebola Victims". Political Wire. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  11. 1 2 John Prager. "Pro-Life Tea Party Christian Todd Kincannon: Execute All Ebola Patients (Screenshots)". Americans Against the Tea Party. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  12. 1 2 V.Frago. "Todd Kincannon's Deleted Tweets". InstaFamous Pro.
  13. ↑ David Ferguson (January 25, 2014). "Tea Party Republican spews vile, sexist Twitter attacks at Wendy Davis". Raw Story.
  14. ↑ Wattrick, Jeff (2013-02-04). "South Carolina Republican Bravely Tweets Similarities Between Trayvon Martin, Super Bowl". Wonkette.com.
  15. ↑ Michelle Garcia (2013-10-17). "Former GOP Official: Trans People Should Be 'Put in a Camp'". The Advocate.
  16. ↑ Todd Kincannon: Transgender people belong in camps
  17. ↑ Stand with anti-war veteran Mike Prysner against right-wing attacks! ANSWER Coalition, March 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ Erin Nanasi (January 22, 2014). "Former GOP Director Todd Kincannon’s Twitter Feed is the Most Awful Thing Ever". forwardprogressives.com.
  19. ↑ John Prager (January 22, 2014). "TEApublican Todd Kincannon Calls Wendy Davis a ‘Whore,’ Says ‘Lick My Taint’ in Barrage of Vile Tweets". aattp.org.
  20. ↑ Lachman, Samantha (2014-01-27). "Tea Party Republican Goes On Sexist Twitter Rampage Against Wendy Davis". The Huffington Post.
  21. ↑ Elias Isquith (January 27, 2014). "Tea Party troll Todd Kincannon goes on misogynistic anti-Wendy Davis Twitter rant". salon.com. External link in |title= (help)
  22. ↑ "The Pro-Torture Palin Populists".
  23. ↑ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpEpO2dCAAEyE0y.jpg
  24. ↑ "The Worst Tweet By A Republican About The Ray Rice Domestic Violence Incident". Addicting Info. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  25. ↑ Kaufman, Scott (2014-10-05). "Former SC GOP director: Execute anyone who comes into contact with Ebola — ‘it’s just math’". The Raw Story.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Paul Bowers (March 28, 2015). "Former SCGOP head accused of threatening his wife". Charleston City Paper.
  27. ↑ "Controversial Ex-SCGOP Official’s Domestic Dispute Goes Viral". FITSNews. March 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Sheriff: Attorney, Former SC GOP Director Arrested". WLTX. April 6, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Order of The Supreme Court of South Carolina". August 28, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Supreme Court Drops Hammer On Todd Kincannon". FitsNews. August 29, 2015.
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