There’s been another bizarre twist in the saga of disgraced South Carolina lawmaker RJ May. On September 4, a federal judge ruled that May can represent himself in his upcoming trial on ten federal counts of distributing CSAM.

For those who haven’t been following along, let’s rewind. Back in June, May was indicted for allegedly using the chat app Kik, a digital cesspool notorious for harboring sex offenders, pedophiles, CSAM collectors, and child traffickers, to send out more than 200 explicit videos. His alleged username, in a grotesque parody of political trolling, was “joebidennnn69.” Prosecutors say the account was accessed nearly a thousand times from his home Wi-Fi, and agents later traced the activity to his phone and devices. He was arrested at his West Columbia home and has been sitting in federal custody without bond ever since.

The fallout was swift. May, a co-founder of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, was expelled from the group almost immediately. His fellow “values” warriors tried to distance themselves from their ideological twin, but the stain won’t wash out. This was their man, the face of their hardline, moral panic politics, now revealed as an accused predator hiding behind “family values” rhetoric.

Now we arrive at this latest development. May fired his taxpayer-funded public defenders and convinced the judge to let him go it alone. His attorneys will sit behind him in court to whisper clarifications, but otherwise he’ll be responsible for motions, arguments, and cross-examinations. All from his jail cell in Edgefield County.

I am dying to know what his defense could possibly be. In jailhouse messages obtained by reporters, May’s been bragging about finishing his own motions, even claiming that “digital forensics just don’t work like that.” At one point, his lawyer floated the idea that a political enemy may have hacked into his Wi-Fi to send the files. Sure. Because when federal investigators find 220 CSAM files tied to your IP address, your phone, and your deleted Kik app, it’s definitely a ‘political enemy’ out to get you.

But here’s the kicker. Did RJ May even practice law? Not once. Unlike many of his former Statehouse colleagues, he’s not an attorney. His professional background is running a political consulting firm where he managed campaigns for fellow right-wingers. That’s it. No courtroom chops, no legal education, no real-world experience in defending federal felony cases.

So now, this one-time “family values” crusader, who built his career railing against the cultural decay of America, is about to stand in a courtroom and argue, by himself, why the jury should believe that the Kik account “joebidennnn69” wasn’t really his.

It’s hard not to recall the old legal adage: He who represents himself has a fool for a client.

In RJ May’s case, it seems the clown shoe fits perfectly.

And he’s still not a drag queen.

(Source)

• Former Rep. May to represent himself in trial on charges of sending child sex abuse videos