Pro-Trump Lawyer Says Georgia State Bar Demands Mental Health Evaluation After Pence Execution Posts

Wood took to Telegram Thursday to assert that he has no intention of submitting to the mental health evaluation requested by the State Bar of Georgia, the governing body of the legal profession in the US state of Georgia. 

“My mind is sound. I have broken no rules. I asked what I had done wrong. I was only told it was about my social media comments. My speech,” he wrote, as reported by Retuers. 

Wood, a longterm supporter of the former US president, Donald Trump, who was also hired to litigate for 45, was permanently suspended from Twitter earlier this month after attempting to subvert a temporary suspension by posting from a second account. The initial reprimand from the social media outlet came after the attorney posted a series of pro-Trump tweets leading up to the deadly January 6 riot and storming of the Capitol building in Washington DC.

"The time has come Patriots. This is our time. Time to take back our country. Time to fight for our freedom. Pledge your lives, your fortunes, & your sacred honor," he tweeted on January 6. "Speak TRUTH. Be FEARLESS. Almighty God is with you. TODAY IS OUR DAY."  

Wood doubled down on his Thursday post the following day, claiming he was exercising his First Amendment right of free speech. 

"I have done nothing wrong. I have only exercised my right of free speech," Wood claimed in follow-up post on Friday. "I will not allow the State Bar to persecute me for doing so and thereby violate my Constitutional rights."

Sarah Coole, chief operating officer of the State Bar of Georgia, did not provide further details on the matter, but did confirm to Reuters that the request for a metal evaluation occurred. It's unclear if the State Bar of Georgia will move to revoke his license to practice law if the requirement is not met.  

Brian Faughnan, a Tennessee-based lawyer, told the outlet that it is uncommon for a state bar to request a lawyer submit to a mental health evaluation. Additionally, while such matters are usually kept confidential, Wood "waived" his right to confidentiality by posting about it on social media. 

News of the state bar's request comes just days after Wood was fired by client Nick Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School graduate suing multiple outlets for defamation over false reporting on a 2019 viral video. 

​“I have ended my lawyer-client relationship with Mr. Wood and no longer wish to be represented by him in the above-captioned action,” Sandmann wrote in affidavits submitted in each of his six pending lawsuits, according to the Cincinatti Enquirer. 

Prior to the announcement, Sandmann replied "what the hell" in response to a January 1 tweet from Wood that asserted Pence "will face execution by firing squad" if arrested. 

Following his perma-ban on Twitter, Wood took to Parler and told followers to "get the firing squad ready" and "Pence goes FIRST." 

Parler, a conservative social media platform that touts unmoderated speech, eventually deleted his tweet, citing a violation of their site rules.