David Pascoe: A Machine Build on Money and Intimidation
- SCCLR Newsletter
- Mar 2
- 3 min read
By: David Pascoe, FITSforum
“They call me a wolf in sheep’s clothing… I am a wolf in wolf’s clothing.”
It has been a revealing few days in South Carolina politics.
On January 20, 2026, Chris Slick, the man I am told runs the political operation for the South Carolina trial lawyers, sent me a text message warning me not to go after his clients. He had already told me about his close relationship with my opponent in the race for attorney general, lawyer-legislator Stephen Goldfinch. Specifically, he told me that if I “go after plaintiff lawyers” he’d “come after” me.
Despite Mr. Slick’s reputation for vile behavior and dirty politics, I pray for him everyday. I am aware of his poor health. While I don’t like his threats or condone his conduct, my Savior tells me to pray for my enemies. But He doesn’t say I have to like them.
Well, this is the person the trial lawyers trust to run their political machine. If you look at Mr. Slick’s own public social media posts, you’ll find someone who brags openly about behavior that most professionals would never broadcast, such as his “dream” was to travel the world, visit as many countries as possible and sleep with a man from each country. That is the level of judgment behind the political apparatus attacking me.
Last Thursday, I stood in the State House lobby with Representative Joe White to support his bill removing the statute of limitations on illegal lobbying. I repeated what a sitting state senator said publicly on the Senate floor — that he was allegedly offered between $50,000 and $100,000 in campaign funds from trial lawyers to vote against tort reform.
Within hours of Thursday’s press conference, my campaign believes more than $100,000 was spent paying national influencers to attack me.
Then at 2:30 in the morning on Saturday, Chris Slick texted again, basically taking credit on behalf of the trial lawyers and promising more attacks. He said that I “will pay,” he’s “coming after me,” that he’s “good” at what he does, and he called me a “snake.”
Well, I’m not a snake. That was some gaslighting by Mr. Slick. My enemies are snakes. Snakes hide in the weeds. Snakes hide behind bots that comment on people’s social media. Snakes hide behind paid influencers. And snakes are easily disposed of with a shovel.
This is not about Republicans versus Democrats. The is corruption versus the citizen.
Republicans do not control South Carolina. Democrats do not control South Carolina. The trial lawyer uni-party controls South Carolina. In the 2018 State Grand Jury Report, I outlined their use of dark money to interfere in a Republican primary so they could grab ahold of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They are the reason we don’t have a judiciary chair in the Senate who supports judicial reform. The current Chair of the Judiciary is their hand-picked man.
They fund candidates in both parties. They block real conservative reforms. They keep a litigation culture in place that drives up insurance premiums, inflates costs for small businesses, and makes South Carolina less competitive than other Southeastern states that have enacted serious reform.
They are the reason conservative legislation dies quietly in committee. They are the reason the business community struggles under excessive lawsuit exposure. They are the reason insiders thrive while working families pay more for everything.
This is a machine built on money and intimidation.
They are pouring nearly $2 million behind Stephen Goldfinch because they know he will not threaten their model. They know he will not end state legal agreements that allow lawyers to weaponize government lawsuits. They know he will not confront lawyer-legislators who put themselves before the people. More importantly, they know I am the only one who can stop them. And they are right.
They call me a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Let me be clear.
I am a wolf in wolf’s clothing.
I have taken down powerful politicians. I have exposed political empires. I am not afraid of their money, their consultants, or their 2:00 a.m. threats.
South Carolina deserves a government that answers to citizens, not to a litigation cartel.
The trial lawyer uni-party has controlled Columbia for too long. It is time that we the people take control.
