GOP Candidate Under Fire for Stolen Valor
A Trump-endorsed pastor has an at-times troubling relationship with the truth
Allegations of Stolen Valor are resurfacing right before a contentious Republican primary in South Carolina – which could undermine President Donald Trump’s stellar record of GOP primary endorsements.
Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime Democrat who voted for both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, became a Republican during Trump’s first campaign. He even gave a well-received speech during the RNC, but then the wheels came off. He caused the Trump campaign some headaches back then, when it turned out that he lied about serving in the military.
At the time, Burns’s church website falsely claimed that he had served in the Army Reserve for six years, when in reality, he had served in the South Carolina National Guard. He also falsely claimed to have graduated from North Greenville University, when he in fact had only been there for one semester. Unless he has an Einstein-level intellect, it’s unlikely that he has a degree. Some Republicans see his lies about his military service and college education as part of a broader pattern of dishonesty from the pastor.
When confronted about his lies, Burns went full Joy Reid, claiming that his website had “obviously” been “manipulated or either hacked or added.” His website platform, Wix, said at the time that there was no evidence of a hack – much like how Reid’s infamously racist blog was simply written by her. Since then, Burns has unsuccessfully run for Congress twice, flaming out in both campaigns.
Fast forward to this election cycle, and Burns is now running, with Trump’s backing, to replace Rep. Jeff Duncan. While he has raised over $500,000 for his bid, almost all of that has come from his own pockets.
In South Carolina, primaries head to runoffs if no one earns a majority of the vote. Most observers are predicting Burns to advance, along with Sheri Biggs, an actual National Guard veteran and nurse practitioner, who is backed by Gov. Henry McMaster’s powerful orbit.
While almost every candidate endorsed by Trump in the 2024 primaries has won, there have been a few stumbles in recent weeks by candidates in Texas and New Jersey. It very possible that Burns’s lies and lack of meaningful local backing will be too much for a Trump endorsement to overcome.
We’ll know much more tomorrow night.