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Feud Escalates Between Country Legend and Rude Reporter, Ends in $10K Anti-Biden Bet

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Country music star John Rich remains so confident that President Donald Trump ultimately will defeat Democrat Joe Biden and be sworn in to serve a second term that he made a $10,000 bet with a Nashville, Tennessee-based journalist, with the proceeds to go to charity.

On Nov. 18, Rich tweeted, “When this election mess makes it to the #SupremeCourt, I predict the judges won’t be able to make a decision one way or the other because of the volume of irregularities. My bet is that they lean on the #12th amendment and kick this election back down to the state legislatures.”

After the Supreme Court denied an emergency injunction on Tuesday in an election challenge lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania GOP Congressman Mike Kelly in the Keystone State, Nashville journalist Adam Gold used a crude insult to jab Rich about his prognostication.

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“Still feeling good about your SCOTUS prediction, Nostradumbass?” Gold tweeted, sharing the Supreme Court denial document.

“VERY confident!” the singer/songwriter responded. “Let’s make our bet official. We both put 10k into an escrow account and if Biden is sworn in as POTUS, I lose my 10k, but you have to DONATE it to (Folds of Honor). If Trump wins, I’ll donate your 10k to a charity of your choice. Deal?”

According to its Twitter bio, Folds of Honor “provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled service members.”

Gold accepted the bet in a reply tweet but did not list his charity.

The Supreme Court may have chosen to pass on Kelly’s case in light of one filed by the state of Texas that names Pennsylvania as a defendant along with Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Eighteen other states and over 100 Republican members of Congress have come out in support of the Texas lawsuit, while six have formally joined, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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At the heart of the Texas v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania case is the charge that the four states in question violated the Electors Clause of Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which gives state legislatures the sole power to designate how presidential electors will be chosen, as well as the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection and due process under the law.

The suit has the potential to change the outcome of the election so Rich’s prediction would come true.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Texas’ filing “the single most important document of the 2020 election.”

“Here is what we know,” the complaint reads. “Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a justification, government officials in the defendant states of Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (collectively, ‘Defendant States’), usurped their legislatures’ authority and unconstitutionally revised their state’s election statutes.

Do you think Rich will win his bet?

“They accomplished these statutory revisions through executive fiat or friendly lawsuits, thereby weakening ballot integrity. Finally, these same government officials flooded the Defendant States with millions of ballots to be sent through the mails, or placed in drop boxes, with little or no chain of custody and, at the same time, weakened the strongest security measures protecting the integrity of the vote — signature verification and witness requirements.”

In light of these facts and many more offered, Texas called on the Supreme Court to “[d]eclare that any electoral college votes cast by such presidential electors appointed in Defendant States Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin are in violation of the Electors Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and cannot be counted.”

Texas further asked the justices to authorize the defendant states “to conduct a special election to appoint presidential electors” or to “direct the state legislatures to appoint a new set of presidential electors” consistent with the Electors Clause and the 14th Amendment.

It’s yet to be determined if Rich will win his bet, but the Texas case offers one potential avenue to victory and a Trump second term.

UPDATE, Dec. 11, 2020: Following publication of this article, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Texas motion. Since this article was accurate when posted, it remains above as published.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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