The N.C. State Board of Elections will meet at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at the Clarion Hotel on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh to address possible campaign law violations involving former Gov. Mike Easley.
The board, made up of three Democrats and two Republicans, will receive a report from its staff about possible election law violations by Easley’s campaign organization, the North Carolina Democratic Party, and several campaign contributors. After hearing the report, the board will place witnesses under oath and question them about certain Easley campaign activities.
Possible violations uncovered by Carolina Journal and The News & Observer include illegal contributions and inaccurate reporting on campaign finance reports submitted to the board. The Easley campaign also, by media accounts, failed to report the value of free air travel provided by Raleigh businessman McQueen Campbell and several others.
The N&O also reported that Easley’s wife Mary and son Mike Jr. were driving cars owned by campaign contributors.
In addition, the campaign finance watchdog organization Democracy North Carolina released research showing that the state Democratic Party was used as a conduit for illegal contributions to the Easley campaign.
The meeting, labeled a hearing by the board, is open to the public and may last several days. It will be similar to the 2006 hearing the board conducted on the campaign finance activities of former House Speaker Jim Black. The hearing on Black produced information that, in 2007, helped federal prosecutors sentence Black to prison for 63 months.
The board has not yet released a list of individuals who will be called to testify. The board’s General Counsel Don Wright told CJ that information on individuals receiving subpoenas will be posted on the board’s Web site after subpoenas are issued.
In addition to the board’s investigation, a federal grand jury has been looking into other matters dealing with Easley, including real estate transactions and a job for Mary Easley at N.C. State University.
Keep checking Carolina Journal Online for live coverage of the election board’s proceedings and other reports, including a “who’s who” of the major players in the Easley hearings, much like this exclusive CJ produced for the Jim Black investigation.
Don Carrington is executive editor of Carolina Journal.