Dec 04 2008
N.C. Will Get a New Federal Prosecutor
Under Republican leadership for the past six years, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina have taken down a state agriculture commissioner, the speaker of the state House, a congressman and a lottery commissioner, all Democrats.
Now, with President-elect Barack Obama poised to appoint a Democrat to the office, some Republicans worry that the state will lose its top corruption cop at a time when Democrats control most of state government.
“The one watchdog for the people of North Carolina has been prosecutors in the Eastern District,” said Kieran Shanahan, a Raleigh lawyer who is a former assistant U.S. attorney. “It would be a disappointment if they did not continue that effort.”
Groan… let’s hope that whoever gets the job isn’t a Democrat lackey like Hagan. Otherwise it’s gonna be a field day for the powers-that-be in Raleigh.
Oh, speaking of Democrat lackeys…
Roy Cooper says he investigates corruption too.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general e-mailed Dome today to note that the State Bureau of Investigation, which he oversees, also played a role in the corruption cases mentioned in a recent N&O article.
In a sidebar to the story, we had written that the Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s office brought down a number of prominent Democrats in recent years, including Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps, former Speaker Jim Black, U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance and lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings.
Spokeswoman Noelle Talley said that the SBI was involved in those cases and more than 450 public corruption cases over the past eight years.
Hmmm… I’m sure that Cooper has done a few things. But if we’re gonna have a “Who’s Got the Most Trophies on Their Wall” contest between Cooper and the Eastern District, I know where I’m placing my money.
