Fishback Flopping

Florida’s seemingly never-ending Republican primary race for governor will finally be settled next Tuesday. With Trump pick Rep. Byron Donalds far ahead in the polls, it looks like groyper favorite James Fishback’s political ambitions are doomed—for now.

In a desperate attempt to inject some life into his campaign last week, Fishback gave a much-teased press conference accusing Donalds of being under Justice Department investigation. Feigning sorrow, Fishback, who looked like a kid playing dress-up, claimed that a whistleblower had told his campaign about the case, which supposedly centered on Donalds’s friendship with notorious Rep. Cory Mills, as well as allegations of human trafficking.

Yet even Fishback supporters didn’t buy his claims.

“They didn’t really produce any receipts,” white nationalist podcaster and onetime Fishback supporter Nick Fuentes said.

Making matters far worse, the Justice Department took the unusual step of clearing Donalds, saying in a tweet that Donalds was “not under investigation,” adding ominously for Fishback that “Falsely accusing someone of being under investigation is a dangerous form of weaponization.”

Donalds might not be in legal jeopardy, but Fishback is. In a lawsuit filed July 27 and discovered last weekend by Fishback’s many online detractors, former high-school debater Briana Whatley is suing Fishback for supposedly stiffing her on thousands of dollars in scholarship money.

Whatley claims she won a total of $11,000 from her participation in Fishback’s anti-woke debate program, “Incubate Debate.”

Whatley claims that when she was competing as a debater, Fishback often contacted her personally to encourage her to participate in his events, explicitly promising the chance to win scholarship money. Yet when Whatley won a total of $11,000 at the tournaments, Fishback was slow to cough up the cash.

While the money was supposed to be paid upon Whatley’s high school graduation in May 2025, she claims Fishback dodged her requests to pay the money for months. After the money was three months late, Whatley hired a lawyer, prompting Fishback to text her that he was “disappointed” that a lawyer had become involved.

A Fishback crony sent her $3,000 on the payment app Zelle last December, seven months after the money was initially due, reducing the debt to $8,000. Yet the rest of the money she says she was promised never arrived. In February, Whatley texted Fishback to ask him why he hadn’t paid money she had been promised on February 1—by then nine months late.

“Feb 1 was a Sunday,” Fishback responded, according to text messages attached to the lawsuit. “We don’t work on Sundays.”

Asked about the debt, Fishback claims he has paid Whatley since her lawsuit was filed.

“I dropped the ball,” Fishback told me in a statement. “Her missed payment was an oversight on my part. This has been resolved.”

Fishback could face other problems, too. Gianna Tagliarini, a former Fishback campaign staffer who has since turned against the candidate, posted on X on Friday that she had reported Fishback to Florida’s state law enforcement agency after investigating his conduct at the anti-woke debate operation. It’s not clear whether that has resulted in a genuine investigation by FDLE, which didn’t respond to a request for comment.

For longtime Fishback watchers, the idea of Fishback owing someone money doesn’t seem outlandish. Last week, a federal judge handling a dispute between Fishback and his former employer ruled that Fishback owes $1.3 million in legal fees and other penalties to his old company, Greenlight Capital, bringing his total debt to them to about $1.5 million. The hedge fund has seized Fishback’s cars and even hunted down a luxury watch he allegedly purchased to try to recoup some of the money he owes them.

The news that he had $3,000 in cash to give to Whatley—and that he might have to come up with $8,000 more—will likely be of interest to the candidate’s former employer. Hard to believe Florida’s voters wouldn’t pick this guy!

Elijah Schaffer embroiled in weird body drama

Far-right commentator Elijah Schaffer has been in a six-month tailspin. Back in February, his family-man image, his marriage, and his website all imploded after Schaffer was revealed to have had an affair with fellow trad commentator Sarah Stock.

While Stock has disappeared from the internet, Schaffer is living out a right-wing influencer version of the Reddit advice for dumped dudes: “Delete Facebook, lawyer up, hit the gym.” Schaffer has assembled a new online show, surrounded himself with a new cast of younger men, and gotten lean.

On Saturday, Schaffer celebrated his physical success by posting two pictures comparing married Elijah (wealthy, yet goateed and flabby) with the current divorcing Elijah (leaner, blonder, and kind of mustachioed).