JohnnieGarmonComeLately.com: answer to the $100 million man’s smear machine
"I wanted to keep this clean but had no choice after being attacked by these people," -Carlton Walker.
📢 Public Statement from Carlton Walker on Smear machine 🚨
Additional Information
🚨 Tyler Bessinger, Corey Allen, CJ Westfall & the $100 Million Dollar Man: The Smear Machine Exposed 🚨
Once again, the same insiders are recycling the same lies in an effort to silence me and mislead you, the voter 🗳️. The latest attack from James Bessinger is nothing more than a smear piece 📰 designed to protect the establishment 🏛️ and keep real conservative voices off the ballot. I will not let their falsehoods go unanswered. ⚔️
🪖 On Operation LJ
I am proud of the work I did on Operation LJ. The goal was to build a home 🏠 for a disabled Marine veteran 🇺🇸, and it was structured so that the veteran would have security for life 🔒 and the home could later serve future veterans as well. That’s why we designed it around a life estate deed 📜 — no one could ever take the home from him, not his family, not me, not even the foundation.
I worked with 36 sponsors, and over 100 people signed up to help build the home. I collaborated with the HOA 🏡, a realtor 🏢, and even had house plans approved by the Marine. Every step was transparent 🔍 and lawful ⚖️.
My modest $700/week salary was legally approved ✅, fully disclosed 📂, and far less than a private contractor would have earned for the same full-time effort during that time. In fact, it is far less than I earn today as a licensed residential builder 👷.
Ask yourself 🤔: would anyone stop their real estate and construction business now — to work for $700 per week — just to help a Marine get a home, rally 36 sponsors, and organize 100 volunteers? That’s what I did. And this is a classic case of “no good deed goes unpunished.”
The project was investigated by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office 🚓, the SC Secretary of State, and even by the attorneys for both LJ and his father, Larry Smoak. All of them dismissed the allegations ❌ and cleared me of wrongdoing. No charges were ever filed because the truth was on my side ✅.
I didn’t even hire an attorney because I knew I had nothing to worry about. Like Jesus said ✝️, “They know not what they are doing.”
If I could change one thing, it would be requiring the Smoaks to sign the Life Estate deed agreement at the very beginning. Trusting Larry Smoak's word left the project vulnerable — not a failure of honesty or integrity.
💻 On AI Use
I have always been honest that I use technology to help communicate clearly 💻.
My words, my ideas, and my positions are my own ✍️.
Tools like AI are no different than a typewriter, a teleprompter, or a research assistant.
🎥 On Allegations from Opponents (Latricia Pond)
My former opponent, Latricia Pond, accused me of “stalking” her — except she even spelled it wrong as “stocking.” That mistake spoke volumes about her lack of seriousness and qualifications.
The truth is simple: I did ask for equal time at Republican events where she was speaking. That is not stalking — that is asking for fairness 🗳️. Candidates running for the same office will naturally appear at the same events. Wanting fair time in front of voters is not harassment, it’s campaigning.
What many people don’t know is that the same two county chairmen who are now attacking me with Latricia’s recycled lies once supported me over her. I even have a video of Chairman John McGrath supporting me publicly, while Latricia attacked him at the grand opening of the Party.
At that same time, CJ Westfall also supported me. Their shift today is pure opportunism — proof that their current attacks have nothing to do with truth, and everything to do with protecting the $100 Million Dollar Man’s campaign.
Latricia ended her campaign because she had no traction or grassroots support. Blaming me became a convenient excuse, and now Tyler, CJ, and others are recycling her false claims to feed their smear machine. And they told me he is spending $250,000 to buy your votes and they will make a fortune on this election — so they are pulling out all of the stops.
📹 And as for “the video” that keeps getting shared — it shows me respectfully asking for equal time in front of the Party. My good friend James Teeple was announced as the last speaker when I was sold a table as a candidate and was not allowed to speak at a Republican event. That’s not intimidation, it’s not harassment — that’s asking for fairness in action.
📻 On Club Bans and Radio Blackouts
Corey Allen asked me to sign a waiver not to sue him for defamation before letting me on his WTMA radio show 🎙️ to correct the record. That is not free speech — it’s censorship and coercion.
⚖️ Federal law is clear: 47 U.S.C. § 315 (Equal Opportunities Rule) requires broadcasters who give airtime to one candidate to offer the same opportunity to all opponents. Corey Allen broke that law.
📌 I gave the station the full list of violations:
❌ Broke federal law by giving my opponent airtime twice without offering me equal time.
❌ Attempted coercion with a waiver.
❌ Engaged in defamation, smearing me on-air and online.
❌ Misled the public into thinking I was a “con man.”
❌ Attempted blackmail: only letting me on if I gave up my rights.
✅ WTMA has chosen fairness. On October 8–9 or later, voters will have the opportunity to hear me for two full hours — the same opportunity Corey Allen denied me.
🛡️ On Defending My Name
Free speech protects opinions — not defamation.
If someone smears me, I will stand up for the truth ✊.
That’s the same commitment I’ll bring to defending every citizen’s rights on James, Johns, Folly, Kiawah, and Seabrook in Columbia 🏛️.
⚠️ On Tyler Bessinger’s Hypocrisy
James Tyler Bessinger led the South Carolina Secessionist Party, which was permanently dissolved ❌ after it was sued for using photos of two Black children holding Confederate flags 🚩 without their mother’s permission.
The Secessionist Party was the exact opposite of Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party — the party that fought to keep the U.S. together 🇺🇸 and to free Black Americans from slavery ✊🏿.
Meanwhile, I am a 4th-generation veteran who has put my life on the line 🪖 for your freedoms and for the U.S. itself 🇺🇸. That’s the difference between Tyler and me: he exploited division, I’ve sacrificed for America.
The court forced him to apologize 🙇 and donate to the NAACP ✊🏾. He admitted that racist motives were not “a minority” but the reality of the movement. https://www.live5news.com/2019/02/28/lawsuit-settlement-calls-permanent-end-sc-secessionist-party-naacp-donation/
For someone with that history — a man who exploited children to advance a racist agenda — to now call me “unfit” is the height of hypocrisy.
Even more outrageous: this same man now thinks he can decide who belongs in the Republican Party 🐘.
My opponent, the $100 million outsider who only moved behind the gates of Seabrook 18 months ago from Rock Hill 🏝️, says he’ll “preserve Gullah Geechee heritage” while his campaign uses Tyler Bessinger to do his dirty work.
The truth: there may be a few families behind the gates now, but the ones I grew up with and called my friends were on James and Johns Island 🌴 — "innit."
I will always protect and support, stopping people like this from exploiting the African American community, just like my family has done in the past ✊ — while my opponent uses people like this to do his dirty work.
❓ Does any African American want “Dixie Rising” again? This is who my opponent is using — through his campaign manager CJ Westfall.
👀 On CJ Westfall’s Involvement
CJ Westfall — Dorchester GOP Chair and campaign manager for my opponent — was one of the first four people to “like” this slanderous article written by Tyler. LOOK AT THE PICTURE:
That is not very smart 🤦 — when you are supposed to be leading fairly, but instead you’re openly promoting attacks written by someone with Tyler’s history.
Westfall is managing the campaign of a $100 million outsider while using his Party position to amplify smear attacks.
That’s not leadership — it’s bias and gatekeeping.
🔥 The Bigger Picture
The insiders attacking me spend more time trying to destroy me than fighting Democrats.
My campaign is about fixing roads 🚦, protecting rivers 🌊, and defending your rights ✍️.
Their campaign is about keeping power in the hands of a few.
I trust the voters of Charleston, James Island, Johns Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah, and Seabrook to see through the noise. Together, we will prove that truth, transparency, and courage still matter 💯.
— Carlton Walker
Candidate for SC House District 115
👉 VoteCarltonWalker.com
OP-ED "The more they lie, the more truth I’ll expose."
They call me a bulldog. And they’re right. Because I don’t let go when I’m fighting for something that matters.
And this district matters.
Strong voice. Stronger backbone. It’s time. VoteCarltonWalker.com
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
From Carlton Walker, Candidate for SC House District 115
Re: Slanderous Article by Tyler Bessenger and the Carolina Courier
Tyler Bessenger’s article titled “Operation Bait-and-Switch?” is not journalism — it is character assassination masquerading as concern.
Tyler Bessenger and Corey Allen, you two need to remove this content. All are hereby notified that any republication of this article constitutes the dissemination of slanderous material.
Despite receiving documentation and being able to get it from multiple credible authorities — including an attorney, the South Carolina Secretary of State, and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office — all of whom reviewed and cleared the Operation LJ project, Hey You Trust Me Foundation and Carlton Walker, Mr. Bessenger knowingly published a false, inflammatory, and libelous story.
THE FACTS THEY IGNORED
CLEARED OF WRONGDOING
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office, LJ Smoak’s attorney, and the SC Secretary of State all cleared me and the “Hey You Trust Me Foundation” of any misconduct. Also every penny was accounted for and went into the foundation's bank account. ALL PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENTS WERE EXAMINED.
Tyler received this information and still ran the article.
FULL TRANSPARENCY ON FUNDS
I earned $773/week, a modest salary approved by a legally established board.
I suspended my own real estate and renovation work to run this effort full-time to get LJ a home.
That’s not profiteering — that’s service.
LIFE ESTATE DEED = VETERAN-FIRST LEGACY
The home was structured as a life estate deed to LJ Smoak, giving him full use and rights for life and making it so that it could not be sold out from under him by anyone, including me.
This was a legal mechanism to ensure the home could help future disabled veterans after LJ. His father had five jobs in the 2 years before this effort ended, and his mother was a housekeeper living in a small apartment with LJ crammed in the downstairs living room. I set up the foundation so that they, nor anyone could not profit from the sale of the home to be built, valued at $400,000.
Tyler twisted this into a narrative of greed. Still, in reality, it was a plan to honor LJ and create a lasting impact that would last well after his passing and continue to help other military personnel and pay it forward after he was gone.
ZERO PERSONAL PROFIT
I never owned the land. I never owned the house. I never planned to.
All ownership was directed to the nonprofit, not me.
Tyler’s suggestion that I “banked on LJ dying” to reclaim the home is disgusting and defamatory.
DOCUMENTED FINANCIAL TRAIL
$9,000+ raised at the Coastal Carolina Fair
$5,000 earnest money placed on land selected by LJ, lost due to false claims, legal delays, and legal interference that would all be cleared.
T-shirts, bumper stickers, billboards, and sponsorships were delivered through grassroots outreach, with 100 volunteers ready to build the home. I personally created all these materials to help build a home where he could live.
“$3,500 sponsorships” were in-kind donations (roofing, HVAC, etc.), not cash — a key fact Tyler omitted and we never got to use them because Legal Delay.
WHO MY FAMILY IS
This smear campaign doesn't just target me — it insults the people who served alongside me:
My father, James Walker Jr. Jay Walker, is a retired civil service electrical engineer for the Navy and Marines, Citadel grad, who volunteers to play taps at veterans’ funerals across Charleston — even while battling cancer. https://www.postandcourier.com/.../article_40f3bd90-8d10...
My mother, Helen R. Walker, was the right hand to H.B. “Buck” Limehouse, South Carolina’s first Secretary of Transportation, and is still Comptroller at Limehouse Properties.
These are not mentally or medically compromised people, especially during 2016-2018.. They are also not dependent on me. They are respected members of this community, and Tyler’s implication that I manipulated them is slanderous.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SMEAR
This article was never about anything but destroying my chances at running.
It’s not about transparency.
It’s about political sabotage.
Here's what’s really happening:
Tyler Bessenger: Not acting as a journalist, but as a political hitman
Corey Allen (WTMA 1250): Tyler’s close friend, who partnered with CJ Westfall to smear Senator Zell (They are both mad at me for calling them out.) I received a call yesterday from CJ Westfall, who complained about being called out to censure Matt Leber. This is noteworthy because Westfall is the Dorchester County Republican Chairman and serves as my primary opponent's campaign manager.
CJ Westfall: Now campaign manager for my opponent, Johnnie Garmon, a $100 million man trying to buy this seat 115.
Tyler’s Bias: He “likes,” “hearts,” and praises nearly every Garmon post, that’s not journalism, that’s campaigning in disguise
Despite receiving:
Written responses
My email to law enforcement
LJ’s attorney Clearance reported by me, just ask the Smoak family.
Cleared by the Secretary of State
Full deed explanation
My $1,000 personal donation
Proof that my parents were competent board members
Documentation of a lawful, transparent structure
Tyler ignored it all — because truth wasn’t the goal. Sabotage was.
COREY ALLEN, TYLER BESSENGER & THE POLITICAL SMEAR CAMPAIGN
Let’s be clear:
Corey Allen publicly defended the article and admitted to reviewing the materials.
"Yikes. Also, I have delved into the posts, videos, research on this one. Carolina Courier got NOTHING wrong. They were actually KIND to the man...the documentation is overwhelming. Didnt even get into the "Im gonna make a movie with the money instead of building a home I would own and allow a veteran to live in for awhile" part of it."
Not once did I ever say I would make a movie with the money from Operation LJ.
I have been quietly working on a movie called the "Last Time I Saw America" since 1999 that has nothing to do with this and all profits will got to children and veterans with PTSD: https://www.postandcourier.com/.../article_995b5507-0800...
Even Live 5 news did 2 parts about this effort to help veterans with PTSD:
https://youtu.be/fLxAP53B5zQ?si=Wp8aWbehNaBGwMc9
https://youtu.be/RqmCSCGSxfI?si=GdR8TeL9tmxtWoPI
That makes Corey legally liable for republishing falsehoods with actual malice.
Corey’s comments also suggest collaboration with Tyler to frame the article. That’s no longer speculation, it’s admitted coordination.
Connect the dots:
Corey Allen = Best friends with Tyler
Tyler Bessenger = Wrote the hit piece
CJ Westfall = Garmon’s campaign manager
Johnnie Garmon = $100M candidate trying to buy this seat
All three = Publicly attacking me while propping up Garmon
Senator Matt Leber, a frequent guest on Corey’s show, is mad that I called for his resignation. Senator Leber told me he did not support my campaign, and he was for Garmon. No wonder! Garmon is worth 100 million and donated to Leber and his PAC for Leber with no oversite to spend as he pleases: on more Airbnbs, more $2,700 payments to suit makers, and God knows what else.
This is a coordinated takedown by political insiders protecting their benefactor, the 100-million-dollar man, Johnnie Come Lately..
They can’t beat me on the issues, so they’re trying to bury me in lies.
REPUBLICATION = LIABILITY
Under U.S. defamation law:
Anyone who republishes a known falsehood is legally liable.
If you had the truth and ignored it — that’s actual malice.
Corey was given the truth
Corey ignored the truth
Corey republished the lie
Corey added new defamatory claims:
This is not a debate.
This is textbook libel.
TO THE PUBLIC — AND TO MY OPPONENT
The voters deserve to know what kind of corrupt machine is trying to buy this seat.
I’m not part of their club.
I don’t answer to their consultants.
I’m not backed by $100 million.
But I am:
A Navy veteran who nearly died in service the second week on the flight deck of the USS WASP.
A man attempted to help a Marine, but the Marine backed out when he couldn't give it to his mother, as his father had been informed of the Life Estate at the beginning of the foundation.
A reformer standing up against corruption and calling for its resignation!
Someone who will stand in front of the storm — and keep going
I will not apologize for trying to help.
I will not back down.
And I will not let slander define my service.
THE TRUTH THEY FEAR
I tried to help a Marine
I structured the project legally.
I was cleared of wrongdoing
I kept receipts
Because the project didn’t result in a house doesn’t mean it was a scam, it means it was sabotaged by false mistrust and legal interference.
"They say no good deed goes unpunished — and they’re proving it. "
No one lost more than I did — not financially, but emotionally.
And now, they want to weaponize it for political gain and slander my family and my good name.
THE REAL MOTIVE: RETRIBUTION
Corey Allen is angry that I exposed his lies about Senator Zell.
Senator Matt Leber is angry that I’ve called for his resignation over the cheating his wife exposed and potential financial misconduct. Donors did not give money for Airbnbs, hotels, or paying custom suit makers.
Tyler Bessenger, their friend, wrote a hit piece full of deliberate omissions.
CJ Westfall, the same guy who helped Corey smear Zell, now runs Garmon’s campaign.
This is not a coincidence.
This is retaliation for calling out corruption.
And the only thing I’m guilty of —
It involves telling the truth, refusing to back down, and urging others to demand the resignation of the corrupt.
FINAL WORD
Tyler, your hit piece may get clicks — but it won’t stop me.
Corey, your coordination and republication just exposed the playbook.
Johnnie, if this is how you win, the people of District 115 will see through it.
I’ve been silent long enough.
Now the public will see the truth behind the smear — and I will pursue legal action.
You do not get to destroy someone with lies just because they’re in your way.
— Carlton Walker
Candidate for SC House District 115
This was given to Tyler:
The Email given to the Charleston County Sheriff's Detective:Operation LJ.
Carlton Walker <lcarltonwalker@gmail.com>
Wed, Aug 6, 4:52 PM (18 hours ago)
to carolinacourier
Tyler,
Attached is the letter I wrote to the Charleston County Sheriff after LJ’s attorney dropped the case.
This entire situation is a tragic example of what happens when you try to help someone who, ultimately, I believe, was persuaded not to accept help under terms that protected both him and the donors.
At the heart of it, Operation LJ was a mission to build a home for a disabled Marine, a mission I and dozens of volunteers and sponsors took seriously. I even wrote LJ a heartfelt letter offering to continue with the home being built despite everything, including the personal attacks, slander, and interference. He still refused.
What most people don’t know is that we had already ratified the contract on the land and had six months to raise the funds. But once his lawyer got involved, the project stalled. By the time the attorney realized there was no wrongdoing on my part, that I hadn’t misused a dime and had acted in good faith, it was too late. The land contract expired, the property was lost, and the seller kept the deposit.
No one was more disappointed than I was. I followed the rules, put the mission first, and remained transparent, even when others were not.
This is not a scandal. It’s a story of what happens when good intentions are met with miscommunication, mistrust, and legal obstruction. And I had the paper trail, letters, and receipts to prove it.
If you want to run a fair story, I encourage you to include all of it, even this email in its entirety, not just fragments taken out of context.
Once again, I've attached the letter to the Charleston County Sheriff's office. They were the last to do an investigation.
Sincerely,
Carlton Walker
Candidate, SC House District 115
Here is the letter given to the Charleston County Sheriff, and I was cleared. After LJ's lawyer dropped it, they tried to get me in trouble. This whole story is slander, and remember the sources of this slander:
From: Carlton Walker <lcarltonwalker@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2017 11:48 PM
To: deturner@charlestoncounty.org
Subject: Operation LJ
Detective Turner,
Hi, it is Mr. Walker, I go home around 10pm-ish and saw your card. For your info, I had the website put back up public for you to view. The link is below. Once you are done viewing it I will have Godaddy remove it from public view. I have had them save it untouched since discontinuing Operation LJ.
http://www.operationlovejoy.org/
Also you can find the Financials for the foundation on the Foundation's website here is the link.
http://www.operationlovejoy.org/
I am not sure what the complaint is now because I have sent every bit of info to LJ's attorney that I had.
A long story short.
I was Larry Smoak Sr's Realtor.
LJ Broke his neck.
We sold Larry Smoak Sr's house that LJ was living in at the time when he broke his neck.
Sept 10, 2016, Larry Smoak Sr. invites me to a fundraiser.
Knowing LJ's father's situation and his mother is a housekeeper I took it upon myself to start my foundation to get them a house built.
In the beginning, I told Larry Sr that LJ would have a Life Estate Deed to the House once it was built, and the reasoning was so no one could take it away from LJ. I explained this during a conversation with his father because his father told me he did not trust LJ's mother and said she spends his money. I believed Larry Sr. was LJ's legal guardian since LJ lived in his father's house before and up to his accident. I spent months and countless hours doing fundraisers. I got 36 sponsors, over 100 Volunteers signed up, and even put a contract on the purchase of land with $5,000 from the foundation that LJ approved of.
LJ picked out Land and a house plan. I spent 3 weeks negotiating with the ARB, Home Owners Ass, Charleston County and the seller's Realtor. LJ agreed to get the land. The Foundation talked the seller into a 6 month contract of 85,000 with $5,000 down. The foundation just lost the $5,000 because of LJ and his family backing out. LJ said if he couldn't own it outright, he did not want it. We had over 100 volunteers to build the house, I believe 36 Sponsors for materials. Then, when his mother found out about the life estate, that is when everything blew up. The reason for a Life Estate Deed to the property, I will explain it. As a Real estate agent who has passed his real estate broker's exam I can explain the deed. A Life Estate Deed Ownership is a type of Ownership that has what is called a Remainderman attached to the deed. An owner of a Life Estate Deed to the property is the legal owner of the property registered with the county. The owner owns the home during their Lifetime. Upon their death the Remainderman receives a new and clear deed to the property. In LJ's cause the Remainderman would be the Hey You Trust Me Foundation INC to do 1 of 2 things with the property at that time. #1 sell it and use the money to build another veteran a house. #2 Just put another Veteran in the house with a new Life Estate Deed to the Property. The reasoning for setting up the foundation this way was to insure that the efforts of so many volunteers and sponsors would never be wasted and the efforts would pay it forward for generations to come. LJ demanded that I give him all the money in the foundation's account and that he did not care about losing the $5,000 in earnest money we put down on the purchase of the land to build him his home.
If you have ever watched the TV show Extreme Makeovers with Ty Pennington. Most that were given a home outright lost them because of different reasons. http://www.thelist.com/.../untold-truth-extreme-makeover.../
To prevent this the Life Estate Deed insured that the home could never be sold. Like LJ's Dad who has had 5 mechanic jobs in the 2 years I have known him and had to sell his house because of bad financial decisions, LJ's mother is a house keeper and no one in the family could afford the house at 878 Hunt Club Run which would be valued at over $400,000 based on Comps in the Neighborhood. At no time was this ever about getting LJ Money. It was always about getting him a home to live in and a Life Estate Deed is giving him Ownership. What would not be fair is to have built him a home and then 3 months later he died, and his 2 parents get to own and sell a $400,000 home and pocket all of the volunteers' and sponsors' efforts and the Hey You Trust Me Foundation, Inc.'s Efforts. The Secretary of State of SC has reviewed all records and cleared the foundation as a Charitable Organization until May 2018. If you have any more questions let me know. Since this terrible loss because of greed, the foundation has turned it's goal to helping millions of veterans instead of one. The new project is
http://www.thelasttimeisawamerica.org/
I hope I have answered all of your questions.
Thank You,
Lee Carlton Walker
Director of the
Hey You Trust Me Foundation, INC.
OP-ED ARTIFICIAL NARRATIVE, REAL CANDIDATE — AND THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE SMEARS
By Carlton Walker, Republican Candidate for SC House District 115
The smear campaign against me just keeps growing.
Tyler Bessenger’s latest article in the Carolina Courier isn’t journalism — it’s a coordinated hit piece written by a man with a disturbing past and deep connections to my opponent’s campaign.
Let’s deal with the facts.
Tyler Bessenger may act like an independent commentator, but people across South Carolina have come forward to share disturbing information about his background — including alleged ties to extremist groups, white nationalist circles, and even satanic symbolism. There are public images circulating of a five-pointed upside-down star with a circle on his hand — a known occult symbol. I’ll let voters decide what that means to them.
But here’s what really matters: Tyler isn’t just some outsider throwing stones. He’s allegedly close friends with both of my opponent’s campaign managers — one of whom is the current Berkeley County GOP Chairman, and the other the Dorchester County GOP Chairman. Both were either quoted or commented publicly against my campaign — despite the fact that, as elected party officials, they are required to remain neutral during Republican primaries under party bylaws.
Let’s be real: if a Charleston County chairman started commenting on a Berkeley or Dorchester race to influence the outcome, these same people would be up in arms. You can’t have it both ways. If you want to be campaign managers, fine — but then keep your mouths shut and follow the rules. Don’t break party bylaws just because your preferred candidate needs a bailout.
And let’s not forget John Mace McGrath — the other Garmon campaign manager — who told people I didn’t stand a chance, Johnnie is worth 100 million and is going to spend $250,000 of his own money. These are the same insiders who didn’t want a grassroots conservative in this race. Now they’re upset that the voters do.
It’s no surprise they’re panicking; they want the paycheck from Johnnie. I’ve got something money and manipulation can’t buy — the truth, and the support of the people who actually live here.
Voters deserve transparency, not hidden agendas.
If my opponent, Johnnie Garmon, wants to be taken seriously by the people of District 115, he should publicly condemn this kind of rhetoric and demand that Tyler Bessenger stop writing hit pieces on his behalf. Because silence is complicity.
And if he won’t speak up, then voters have every right to ask:
Does Johnnie support Tyler’s views and associations?
Does Johnnie condone the kind of hate and extremism that Tyler promotes?
Or worse — does Johnnie share them?
The people of this district deserve answers — not shadows.
No candidate who claims to care about this community — especially the Gullah Geechee community — should turn a blind eye to attacks coming from a man allegedly linked to white supremacist circles and anti-Christian beliefs. Not in a district as diverse, faith-centered, and community-driven as ours.
If Johnnie won’t speak up, the people of District 115 deserve to ask why. While he hides behind money and political handlers, I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done — showing up.
I’ll continue building bridges across racial and political lines. I’ll continue standing with the African American families of James Island, Johns Island, and the Lowcountry — the same families who welcomed me, worked beside me, and helped shape the man I am today.
I’ve lived the struggle — not the Black experience, but the everyday fight to survive, to serve, and to speak up when it’s easier to stay quiet.
I carried my 5-year-old daughter to the top of the Ravenel Bridge on Father’s Day in 2015 to stand against white supremacy — shoulder to shoulder with thousands of others in the wake of the Mother Emanuel tragedy. I didn’t do it for a camera. I did it because it was right. Because hate has no place in our state — and certainly not in this district.
So when I see political hit pieces written by people defending my opponent, who would rather stand with division and lies than with truth and justice, I won’t stay silent.
To those still clinging to that old stain of hate: carry your bitterness back to where it came from — because you are not welcome in this district, or in the future we’re building here.
This district raised me. And I will never stop fighting for it.
Why This Matters
Let’s not forget who I’m up against.
Johnnie Garmon has lived in this district for barely 18 months. He made $100 million off the backs of the dying and the vulnerable in the senior care industry — and now he’s dumping $250,000 of his own money into this race like it’s just another business investment.
He’s not here to serve. He’s here to buy power.
At a recent local political gathering, Johnnie Garmon admitted that party insiders initially wanted him to run against conservative State Representative Brandon Guffey — a fellow Upstate Republican from Johnnie’s own community. But after seeing that Guffey won 67% of the vote in his first race and a staggering 98% in his second, Johnnie packed up and moved to Charleston County. Why? Because he thought District 115 would be easier to buy with his money. This wasn’t about service — it was about strategy. He’s still consulting in the same senior care industry where he made $100 million, and now he’s trying to use that fortune to take over a district he barely knows. That’s not leadership. That’s calculated opportunism.
And while he flashes a smile and talks about “caring for the community,” his campaign is benefitting from vicious political attacks — written by a man allegedly tied to white supremacist groups and anti-Christian rhetoric. If that’s who you let speak for you, what does that say about what you really believe?
This is District 115 — diverse, faithful, and unbought. We don't need a carpetbagging millionaire with a PR team. We need a fighter who knows this place, lives in it, and has bled for it.
Johnnie Garmon’s number one campaign platform is “protecting our seniors and caregivers.” But let’s not be fooled by the slick smile and rehearsed soundbites — because the truth tells a very different story. Johnnie made his fortune — nearly $100 million — in the senior care and hospice industry, not as a servant, but as a businessman. He didn’t just work in the system, he profited massively from it.
And even now, while campaigning on promises to “protect” the vulnerable, he’s still actively consulting in that same industry. That’s not public service — it’s a conflict of interest. You don’t get to profit off the backs of the elderly, then turn around and pretend you’re their savior. This isn’t compassion — it’s calculation. It’s the kind of slick, self-serving strategy we’ve seen from career politicians and corporate insiders for years. Voters deserve a leader who fights for people, not someone who built an empire on them and now wants to use that as a political springboard. District 115 doesn’t need a salesman with a golden resume — we need someone with grit, backbone, and no strings attached. Don’t buy the branding. Don’t buy the smile. Look at the record.
I don’t have $250,000 to spend. What I do have is grit, roots, and faith. And I believe God doesn’t call the qualified — He qualifies the called. I believe He put me here for a reason, because God only gives His toughest battles to His toughest soldiers. And I’m ready to stand up to this machine — no matter how ugly they get.
Using AI for Good
Yes, I use AI. But I use it for good — to help communicate more clearly, to respond faster, to knock on more doors, and to connect with more voters. While some are using this technology to create propaganda, I want to use it to shine a light on broken systems — like our SC Department of Transportation — and put pressure where it belongs: on government agencies that have failed to deliver results for the people of District 115.
We can harness AI systems to streamline contracts, accelerate permitting, and finally cut through the red tape that’s choking our economy. It’s time we stop letting outdated processes stall growth — and start using 21st-century tools to D.O.G.E. our state agencies: Digitize, Optimize, Govern Efficiently.
South Carolina deserves a government that works at the speed of its people — not one bogged down by paperwork and politics.
Damn right you want someone using AI in government. While they’re still faxing forms and losing paperwork, I’ll be using smart systems to cut wait times, speed up permits, and get results. This isn’t the future — it’s what we should’ve been doing years ago. I’m not running to play along. I’m running to fix what’s broken — faster, smarter, and for you.
This election isn’t about taking away more rights from citizens through bureaucratic concurrency laws. It’s about getting SC DOT in gear, getting the job done, and keeping up with the growth that’s already here. We tried to fix this once before — when we created the position of Secretary of Transportation. My mother’s boss, H.B. “Buck” Limehouse, was the very first to serve in that role. If you’ve ever driven from Highway 17 onto Main Road to reach Johns Island, Kiawah, or Seabrook, you’ve driven on the memorial highway that bears his name and his grandfather is the Limehouse Bridge.
But what have we seen since? More red tape. More delays. More finger-pointing. Our roads are worse today because we handed off control to unelected bureaucrats who don’t live here and don’t answer to us.
It’s time to swing the pendulum back. Let our elected House Representatives have a real say in which roads get fixed — not be sidelined or punished for speaking up. The people of District 115 deserve infrastructure decisions made by leaders who live here, drive these roads, and understand what’s at stake — and understand what has happened to get us to this point.
Here I am
— as Tyler Bessenger says — “bouncing around the Lowcountry.” But the truth? I stepped away from District 115 for one reason only: to take care of my grandmother and save my grandmother’s life in District 15.
She was placed in one of the very types of facilities where my opponent, Johnnie Garmon, made his $100 million. But when I found out they had taken her off all her medications — including the ones that kept fluid off her heart — I pulled her out. If I hadn’t, she would’ve drowned from the inside out. That’s not speculation. That’s what the doctors told us.
I brought her home. I gave her her life back — even if just for a few more months. We spent that time making memories. I took her to see the Angel Oak Tree here on Johns Island, to dinner at the Market Street Pavilion, where Grill 225 is. Her last day on this earth was filled with joy — shopping with my aunt, smiling, living.
That’s not me “bouncing around.” That’s me doing what’s right.
And for those locals who know — take a look at the flag on the hat I’m wearing in that photo below with my grandmother. That’s the James Island Yacht Club. You don’t wear that if you’re bouncing around — you wear it because you belong here.
And no — I’m not against people with wealth. My best friend owns Grill 225, along with several other prominent local restaurants and hotels, and lives in one of the wealthiest homes on James Island. Wealth isn’t the issue. The issue is someone new to the district trying to buy a seat in our State House — without knowing, living, or respecting what this community has been through.
I didn’t run from responsibility. I ran toward it. And I’ll do the same for the people of District 115.
Final Word
If you’ve felt like no one’s listening, if you’ve felt priced out, written off, or ignored — this campaign is for you. I’m not running against anyone. I’m running for the working people of this district. I’m running for the elderly woman who needs a new roof like 93 year old Mrs. Cheatham whom I just gave one for FREE. I’m running for the child caught in a broken family court system. I’m running for the veterans, the parents, the renters, the small business owners — the forgotten majority.
They call me a bulldog. And they’re right. Because I don’t let go when I’m fighting for something that matters.
And this district matters.
Strong voice. Stronger backbone. It’s time. VoteCarltonWalker.com
Do You Want This? A Fighter Who Stands for What’s Right and Protects Our Seniors —
Or this? ....
Evil
These images were sent to me by a supporter who is a current member of the SC House and wants me to win.
We have a Democrat trying to get Johnnie Garmon elected by attacking me. The last thing we need is another RINO.
"My Opponent’s Ally Exploited Black Children for Propaganda"
I will wait for Johnnie Garmon's campaign to denounce this and his two campaign managers too.
This case confirms that James Tyler Bessenger, my opponent's vocal defender and political hitman, was the leader of the South Carolina Secessionist Party — a group that was permanently dissolved by court order after photographing two Black children holding Confederate flags without parental permission, then posting the image online to promote pro-Confederate propaganda.
STATEMENT ON TYLER BESSENGER AND THE SECESSIONIST PARTY SCANDAL
In 2019, a Charleston judge permanently dissolved the South Carolina Secessionist Party after it was sued for taking and circulating photos of two Black children holding Confederate flags — without their mother’s consent — to falsely imply support for their cause. The leader of that group? James Tyler Bessenger, the same man now working hand-in-hand with my opponent’s campaign and spreading coordinated attacks against me.
According to court records, Bessenger was ordered to apologize and donate to the NAACP, admitting he had grossly misjudged the true motives behind the flag movement he once led. The party’s websites and social media were shut down for good, and any reactivation could cost them millions in penalties.
This isn’t about political games anymore — this is about judgment, character, and what kind of people you trust to shape your community’s future. If my opponent won’t condemn this behavior or disassociate from the people behind it, then it speaks volumes.
I’m not running to divide — I’m running to build. And no matter how ugly they get, I will continue standing up for truth, decency, and every family in this district.
Lawsuit settlement calls for permanent end to SC Secessionist Party, NAACP donation
By Patrick PhillipsUpdated: Feb. 28, 2019 at 5:28 PM EST
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The South Carolina Secessionist Party has been permanently dissolved after a woman sued the party over photos taken of her children holding Confederate flags.
Alicia Greene filed a civil lawsuit last April against the party over a photo taken of her children at the Battery in downtown Charleston in June 2017.
In the photo, her 7 and 8-year-old children, both black, were holding Confederate flags and that the photo was circulated without her permission in an effort to imply endorsement of the flag.
According to a Ninth Circuit Court of Common Pleas document, the party will no disbanded and will forever remain dissolved and its "entire web presence," including all websites and social media pages "will be immediately and forever removed or deleted."
The settlement also stipulates that if the party or its web presence is reactivated, all of the defendants will each agree to pay the plaintiffs $1 million each.
One of the defendants, James Tyler Bessenger, who led the party before it was dissolved, agreed to apologize to the plaintiffs for everything they suffered as a result of the incident and agreed to donate $1,000 to the Charleston branch of the NAACP in the name of Greene and her family, the documents state.
The settlement allows Bessenger to retain the right to the name, "South Carolina Secessionist Party" but states he will not give anyone else permission to use it.
"Bessenger does acknowledge that while he became a leader in the Secessionist Party movement because he thought that the people who waved the flag with racist motives were in the vast minority, and that most people were genuinely interested in the historical aspects of the Confederacy, he is now convinced that this is not the case," the document states.
Greene sued for defamation and punitive damages in connection with the photo. She said she was having a picnic in White Point Gardens with her children on the same day the party was holding a pro-flag rally in the park.
The purpose of the rally was to, "Spreading the love to ALL our southern brothers and sisters," according to a party Facebook post cited in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit stated Greene's children went to admire a fire truck nearby at which point party members gave the children Confederate flags and took a photo of the children holding the flags without their permission.
Later that afternoon, the lawsuit states she was made aware that the party had posted the photo of her children holding the flags to the SC Secessionist Party Facebook page with the caption " #TeachTheYouthTheTruth" and "DixieRising".
Greene states she received enough backlash about the post that she was forced to take down her own Facebook page. The post was eventually deleted, but not before it had been public for more than one day, according to the suit.
The lawsuit stated the personality of the children was misrepresented in the post. Greene sued for defamation as well as punitive and actual damages.
With Judge Alex Kinlaw’s approval of the order, the lawsuit is dismissed and Greene is barred from bringing future claims against the defendants.
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