The Republican Party was already braced for the imminent trial of a GOP lawmaker in South Carolina who was arrested in June on sickening child pornography charges.

But now sources have told the Daily Mail that RJ May, 38, who has close ties to several sitting U.S. congressmen, may be using those powerful connections to get off the hook.

May was indicted on 10 charges of distributing child sexual abuse material after he allegedly sent videos depicting child and toddler sexual abuse over the Kik social messaging app, court documents say.

Prosecutors say that he sent or received over 1,100 messages related to the alleged abuse.

And he allegedly did so while going about normal daily life, including during his political work and while spending time with his family, the court documents say.

May has been married to his wife Beth since 2016 and they have two young children.

Since his arrest, he has been held without bond at the Edgefield County jail and his trial is expected to begin in October.

But – and despite having been charged some two months ago – May only resigned his seat in the state House last week.

May did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment and has pleaded not guilty.

Former South Carolina State Representative RJ May was arrested in June on charges of distributing child sexual abuse material. He has pleaded not guilty

RJ May and his wife, Beth, and one of their children

The scandal has ignited South Carolina’s capital of Columbia, where Republicans now worry how the fallout will impact their own reputations.

It certainly won’t help that sources tell the Daily Mail how May’s powerful GOP allies may be quietly working to get him off the hook, or at least ensure a lesser punishment, amounting to what could be a ‘cover-up’ attempt.

May’s alleged crimes came to light after the social media app Kik sent a tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The username ‘joebidennnn69,’ attributed to May, had allegedly circulated disturbing child pornography material.

The three-term local Republican allegedly used the account to exchange at least 220 videos for five days in the spring of 2024, court files say.

Authorities claim that the documents were downloaded on May’s home WiFi network.

May’s defense has pushed back, arguing that someone else could have sent the files over his home internet. May’s defense also argued during a June hearing that investigators had not linked each of the Kik messages to the former state lawmaker.

If convicted, May faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the charges to which he has pleaded not guilty.

‘The RJ May issue is a huge issue, and people are scratching their heads, wondering why he didn’t resign sooner,’ Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told the Daily Mail. ‘He just resigned this month.’

May’s house was raided by federal authorities in August 2024.

But the cause for the raid remained a mystery until June 2025, when he was indicted on the child sexual abuse material charges.

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace told the Daily Mail that May should have resigned his seat before being arrested

‘This has been going on for, I think, close to a year, is what I’m told. And he should have resigned a long time ago, before he ever got indicted. And, I mean, everyone knew this was happening, apparently,’ the congresswoman said.

Mace, 47, who recently launched a bid for South Carolina governor, admitted the alleged behavior tarnished the state’s GOP.

Representing a sizable district outside of Charleston, Mace has also gone through a high-profile sexual abuse case in the state.

In February, Mace accused several men of being ‘predators’ during a speech on the House floor in Congress.

She accused her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and three of his male associates of rape, sex trafficking, and recording sex acts with her and other women without consent.

Bryant and the other men have all strongly denied and pushed back on the allegations. Brian Musgrave, a South Carolina man whom Mace named during her floor speech, has filed a defamation case against the congresswoman.

Court files allege that May had exchanged 220 files of toddlers and young kids involved in sex acts on the social messaging app Kik

Mace, who is running for governor in South Carolina, told the Daily Mail that, if she wins, she would condone a ‘public execution’ for those who commit sex crimes against children

‘I have personal experience with this sort of thing,’ she told the Daily Mail of May’s case. ‘It’s devastating, and it’s why I will fight so hard to protect women and kids.

‘I hope that there will be a new day in South Carolina when I’m Governor, where we are actually prosecuting murderers, where we are actually prosecuting rape, where we are actually prosecuting pedophiles.

‘I would have no problem as governor having a public execution to set the standard and set the example. So we can stem the tide of this horrific behavior.’

However, May’s political connections may safeguard him from the most severe punishments, another South Carolina lawmaker told the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity.

‘Tens, maybe dozens of electeds, House and Senate members in the state legislature, pay RJ May for [political] consulting,’ the lawmaker told the Daily Mail. ‘And congressional members, too.’

U.S. Republican Representatives Joe Wilson and Russell Fry have both paid May for political consulting, our source shared. So has South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, they added.

There is no suggestion any of May’s clients have engaged in a ‘cover-up’ of his alleged offenses. None of the men named here responded to requests for comment.

‘I think the level of corruption we’re talking about, the hillbilly, backyard, Dukes of Hazard justice down here, it would be really great if you could expose some of it,’ our source separately alleged.

Jordan Pace, a South Carolina state legislator who called for May’s removal soon after his crimes came to light, told the Daily Mail that many local lawmakers had no idea the extent of May’s alleged crimes until a court unsealed his indictment months after his arrest.

South Carolina state Representative Jordan Pace called for a statehouse vote to expel May from the local legislature

‘When they raided his house, the warrant for the raid was sealed, and it stayed sealed after he was arrested two months ago,’ Pace said. ‘I mean, there was speculation, there’s all kinds of rumors.

‘But when it came out, we were obviously shocked and disgusted, disappointed, feeling betrayed.’

When May was arrested on June 11, his wife, Beth, was photographed appearing shocked.

Later at a court hearing, she reportedly refused to even glance at her husband.

When determining whether May would stay in jail while he waited for trial, Magistrate Judge Hodges said: ‘I am concerned about the danger to the community, specifically to Mr. May’s own minor children, as well as to other children who are somebody’s children.’

‘If this guy can deceive his wife for years about this stuff, and she had no idea, and they shared a bedroom, then he can certainly pull the wool over anybody’s eyes,’ Pace told the Media house.

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