His Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastor from Illinois, the Revvvvvvv. (Rush Limbaugh voice, political wingnuts) Stephen C. Lee, one of Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney Fani Willis' "Dirty 19" indictees, and the smallest fish in the overall tank NOT to cop a plea, is back in the news in this New York Time profile of his recent activities.
Making the reasonable assumption that he's guilty (he's clearly guilty of stalking the election worker, at a minimum), I'm sure LCMS President Matthew Harrison wishes he would indeed cop a plea.
That said, knowing the LCMS and its standoffishness within the world of conservative mainline Protestantism, what probably cheeses Harrison — and even more, the people in positions of theological big stole swinging to his right — even more than that is him appearing at some EEEEvangelical church in metro Chicago. If Lee prayed before or with people there as part of an official religious event, that could give Matty the excuse to crack down on him without the hard right being able to lay a theological or church-political glove on him without hypocrisy. I don't know if that happened, but the congregation DID "bless Lee," the story said. Matty's got a theological case IF he wants to pursue it.
Ditto, if he gave appearance of being an LCMS pastor in his 2021 endorsement of Trumpian Congresscritter candidate Jim Marder. That said, Matty's probably too weaselshit to pursue that angle if Lee did indeed do this. (Although I may be wrong. That said, it would be weaselshit to pursue this angle ahead of the angle of him politicizing his call, which he has clearly done, whether found legally guilty of the charges against him or not — and also, whether found civilly liable in the lawsuit against him or not.)
As for Lee, or more precisely, his legal beagle David Shestokas, who apparently didn't let the Times interview his client? First, the claim that he was wanting to counsel Ruby Freeman, as "pastoral activities," in the face of the hassling she'd already been facing is so laughable it's not even high-grade bullshit, it's back shelf bullshit.
As for this claim that this wasn't coordinated with any of the other Devils Who Went Down to Georgia (I see what I did, late, unlamented wingnut Charlie Daniels), how would he know to seek out Harrison Floyd, leader of Black Voices for Trump, if he wasn't at a minimum "connected"? (Willis' office trying to prove coordination, not just connection, might be tougher.) A reporter asked just that question, and Shetokas gave a non-answer.
Finally, I don't know what Lee's White ethnic background is, but within Whites, German-Americans broke harder for Trump than any other White ethnic group. Yes, more than Scotch-Irish of Southern stereotype.
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