Carolina Politics Online

Hey, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, right?

Wilmington business owner Rusty Carter doled out $268,000 in bonuses to his employees and some of their spouses over six years with the understanding some of it would be contributed to certain political campaigns.

In that time, more than $176,000 of those bonuses awarded to employees of Atlantic Corp. and related companies ended up in the campaigns of Gov. Beverly Perdue, state Senate leader Marc Basnight and state Sen. Julia Boseman, which violated campaign laws.

On Tuesday, Carter, 61, entered an Alford plea to three misdemeanors of illegal contributions through a corporation. An Alford plea means a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that enough evidence exists for a conviction.

In North Carolina, it is illegal to donate in someone else’s name, and it’s illegal to donate more than $4,000 per election.

Also, corporations are prohibited from donating to campaigns.

Wilmington Star

The money flowing into campaigns should be held to the highest scrutiny.  Money can make all the difference in a campaign so when that money is funneled in illegally, the penalty should be stiff.  I’ll give Perdue, Basnight, and Boseman the benefit of the doubt.  They can’t possibly know where every dollar they receive comes from, but Carter knew exactly what he was doing.  He willfully engaged in election manipulation.  No, his actions more than likely made no difference in the outcome of those three races, but manipulation is the intention when you launder illegal funds into a political race.

So what is Carter’s punishment for screwing with our electoral system?  Not much.  A $5,000 fine, two years of probation, and he is barred from donating to any political campaigns during that time as well.  Well, that judge sure stuck it to him, didn’t he.

On another “shocking” note, Mr. Carter also has ties to…… ta-da!  Mike Sleasley of course!  He is a piece of the corrupt Sleasley political machine, having received a position on the board of UNC Chapel Hill.  His wife is a board member at UNC Wilmington. What qualifies the Carters for such prestigious positions of importance?  Carter and Easley are old college frat buddies. Even with a female governor, the good ole boys club has not checked out of Raleigh.

Former Gov. Mike Easley kept a private e-mail account that he used for state business.

Easley’s former communications director Sherri Johnson testified in a deposition that Easley kept the secret account and used it for state business. Johnson was being deposed as part of a public records lawsuit filed by The N&O, The John Locke Foundation and several other news media outlets over access to e-mail messages.

The news organizations sued after some public information officers in state government said Easley’s administration routinely deleted e-mail communication and advised other state public information officers to do the same. The state’s public records law says that e-mail messages are public records no different than other state documents.

The N&O

Is anyone even surprised by this anymore?

Oh wait, this next part is kinda surprising-

The address: “Nick Danger” spelled backwards. The name was likely a reference to the fictional, satirical private eye.

::holding back snickers::

Oh wait, there’s more…

Delete all those references to former Gov. Mike Easley being weird, says former Democratic strategist Gary Pearce.

We now know that his nocturnal work habits, secrecy and hermit-like lack of public profile stem from his true vocation: espionage, as indicated by his email nom de plume, Nick Danger.

“One mystery remains. It’s the Firesign Theater connection. Back in the day on campus, listening to Firesign Theater was a favorite pastime of those who, as they used to say, “experimented” with drugs. And not the kind of experiments that went on in chem lab.  I’m just saying.”

Ha ha. Ahhh, that Mike Easley. If he wasn’t such a God-awful governor he’d be a most hilarious fellow. Ditto for Mrs. Danger:

Every private eye needs a dame and Gov. Nick Danger had “sewgood.”

Johnson testified in a deposition taken in a public records lawsuit against Easley’s administration that First lady Mary Easley also had a private e-mail account. Johnson, who said she didn’t know Mary Easley well, did not recall using the address — which was something like “sewgood” — for state business.

The N&O

Mike Easley

Wow, I think the title says it all. This is being reported in the News and Observer today. Nothing I can say changed anything. I wonder if he will cut a deal or how many charges he could get convicted on?

The 64-page indictment alleges that Poole, 37, of Raleigh, extorted money from key Easley supporters and took corresponding action on environmental permits. It charges him with bribery, use of the mail in aid of racketeering, and says his actions deprived North Carolina citizens of his “honest services.”

I wonder if he would rather clean out the bunkers or just cut the greens?

Lanny Wilson, a very influential fundraiser for Easley and Perdue has resigned from his Department of Transportation position as reported in the News and Observer today.

He testified to the State Board of Elections that he gave large amounts of money to the Democratic Party with the intention of it being given to the campaigns of Easley andPerdue. This is a felony according to state and federal law. One has to wonder why our Democratic State Attorney General has not pursued this? No we don’t.

Such funneling would violate limits on donations to individual candidates. Wilson was the main financial backer of several coastal developments, including the Cannonsgate development where Easley bought a lot at a six-figure discount.

Perdue had him on her short list for her cabinet and Senator Basnight has just emotion filled words of support for Lanny Wilson.

“Lanny has so much to give this state. He’s smart and he understands the department very well. I believe he could reorganize the department in a fashion that we would get much more out for our money,” Basnight said.

I hope people now see why North Carolina is considered to have one of the most corrupt state governments in our union.

Former Gov. Mike Easley failed to list income from the rental of his Raleigh home on at least three consecutive annual economic interest statements — a violation of state ethics laws.

The home on East Lake Drive was rented for $1,500 a month for three years while Easley served as governor. Concealing income or failing to fully disclose it on a Statement of Economic Interest is a misdemeanor. Providing false information is a felony.

Top state officials must complete the statements and submit them to the State Ethics Commission, which was created in 2007. Before that, officials submitted economic interest statements to the N.C. Board of Ethics.

The Carolina Journal

Mike Easley

Mike Easley

Mike Easley

I could make this incredibly easy and just recycle Easley’s Jackass entry from last year. You see, Former Gov. Clownass now has the distinction of being the only person to make the Jackass list both in 2008 and 2009- both times coming in at #4. That right there is more than he ever accomplished in eight unfortunate years as governor of N.C.

Last year’s entry did have one line of note that I’d like to bring up again. I mentioned that only the timely intervention of Rod Blagojevich saved Easley from the distinction of being the nation’s worst governor. Well, Mike must have taken that to heart, because in the year since, his antics have officially surpassed Blago’s and earned him the distinction of the nation’s worst recent ex-governor! Congratulations, Mike!

I find it fascinating that for eight years, a lot of people thought that Easley was nothing more than a do-nothing slug; sort of a political version of Punxsutawney Phil. Phil comes out once a year to check his shadow, and Mike comes out once a year to see which way the wind is blowing before he signs a few bills. But it appears as if we underestimated Mike. His public veneer of a detached, lazy, incompetent idiot effectively covered what lay within- an active, devious, incompetent idiot. In retrospect, it seems like hardly a day went by that Easley wasn’t breaking some sort of law. No wonder he was too busy to attend to his day job!

And it though it only took eight years and dogged reporting from the Carolina Journal (piggybacked by the N&O after Easley left office) for the powers that be to finally notice that Easley was breaking more laws than he signed, it finally appears as if he’s going to pay for his public corruption: unreported campaign flights, a cushy do-nothing job for his wife, unlawful bundling of campaign funds, sweetheart land deals, and more. All this while N.C. had the highest taxes in the southeast, a decaying economy, crumbling roads, an incompetent parole system, and other troubles that are coming to light daily.

So for all this, Mike Easley (aka. Gov. Clownass) is named the 4th Biggest Jackass of 2009. And here’s hoping that in 2010, we’ll be able to retire this picture:

and replace it with this one:

Tomorrow, your choice for the 3rd Biggest Jackass of 2009.

President Barack Obama late Monday nominated Charlotte lawyer Thomas G. Walker to replace U.S. Attorney George Holding, who has spent months overseeing federal probes of two of the state’s most prominent Democrats: two-time presidential candidate John Edwards and former Gov. Mike Easley.

Walker, 45, has worked at Alston & Bird since 2003, and before that worked for Cooper for two years. At Alston & Bird, he concentrates on complex federal and state government investigations and white-collar defense.

Federal election data show Walker gave $1,250 to help elect Obama, $750 to Hagan’s Senate campaign, and $750 to Edwards’ presidential campaign in 2003.

The N&O

Walker certainly seems qualified, but Obama has been appointing a lot of partisan hacks to high-ranking positions of great importance (as did GW Bush).  I hope Walker is better than that. He had better allow Holding to complete those investigations, or at least take them over and give them high priority.

One problem though…

Also, Walker was a campaign donor to Easley, state records show. In 2002, he gave Easley’s campaign $250. Two years later, as Easley sought a second term, Walker gave $2,000, records show. The state elections records do not show any donations to statewide candidates when Easley first ran in 2000, nor when Easley was campaigning for attorney general in 1992 and 1996.

Remember when Tony Rand unexpectedly stepped down as Senate Majority Leader? Remember when Bane, myself, and many other pundits called ‘bullshit’ on his explanation that he just wanted to move on? Remember when we said that there must be something out there that he doesn’t want exposed?

Ahem…

New information developed by Carolina Journal shows that former Gov. Mike Easley’s 2005 Cannonsgate real-estate deal was not the first time Easley was involved in a deceptive land transaction.

The information shows that Easley acquired a lot and a home on exclusive Bald Head Island some years earlier with the assistance of state Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville.

The Carolina Journal

It’s a lengthy article, but pretty damn informative. Here’s a timeline summary:

Easley Bald Head Island Timeline

• February 1986: Mike Easley buys Bald Head Island Lot 619 for indicated sales price of $40,000.

• November 1992: Easley elected attorney general and Tony Rand elected to state Senate.

• November 1992: Easley sells Lot 619 to Tony Rand for indicated sales price of $40,000.

• March 1995: Easley settles lawsuit with Walter Davis permitting hard structures to stop erosion on Bald Head Island.

• 1995: Easley negotiates purchase of new home from developer BHI Limited.

• November 1995: At Easley’s request, Rand transfers Lot 619 to BHI Limited. Indicated sales price was $80,000. Deed was not recorded.

• June 27, 1996: Easley attorney records deed from Rand to BHI Limited for Lot 619, and then immediately records deed from BHI Limited to Easley for a new home with an indicated sales price of $250,000.

• November 2009: Rand tells Carolina Journal he didn’t pay Easley for Lot 619 and didn’t receive any money when he transferred it to BHI Limited.

(Insert Dragnet theme here)

Dum de-dum-dum. Dum de-dum-dum-dummmmm…

Years ago, the State Board of Elections enjoyed a public image of a humdrum vote counter and ballot inspector. But in the past decade, the board has taken the role of dogged investigator that has helped put crooked politicians behind bars.

There’s no telling what, if anything, will emerge from the hearing into the conduct of former Gov. Mike Easley, which starts today.

But one thing is certain, according to political consultant Joe Sinsheimer: The public is guaranteed to get a look behind the curtain at how politics works.

The N&O

Depending on how this turns out, I may have to replace this picture with that of a sad clown. I can only hope…

Mike Easley

RALEIGH — The $170,000 salary that N.C. State University paid former state first lady Mary Easley until it fired her this summer was $91,000 too high, according to a never-completed — and much speculated-upon — state audit.

The salary and how Mary Easley won the job have become part of wide-ranging state and federal investigations into perks given to former Gov. Mike Easley and his family. Wood’s office has twice been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury, and she said she had shared the report with investigators.

Wood said the report was too poorly done to be credible and “should not be relied upon for any purpose.”

Easley’s salary probably was too high, Wood said, but the proper amount was somewhere between her salary and the $79,000 recommended in the report.

The Times News

The Sleasleys just can’t stay out of the paper no matter what.  This had to be one of the most corrupt administrations in recent state history.  Too many of these louses forget what it means to be a public servant, or they don’t care.  Instead of serving the public, Easley was serving himself and his family.  Wish I could get a six figure salary for being married to the governor.

The leaders of an exclusive golf club waived monthly membership dues for former Gov. Mike Easley while he was in office, granting the Democratic governor a $50,000 benefit over eight years that he did not disclose.

Easley was asked in ethics disclosure forms for most of his time in office, though not all of it, to list gifts he had received that were valued at more than $200. He did not list any.

A spokesman and a lawyer for Easley said Easley followed the rules about disclosure statements.

The lawyer, Wade Byrd of Fayetteville, said Easley had complied with disclosures required under the state’s new ethics law. It took effect in 2007.

“Gift disclosures are only required when they originate from a lobbyist [or] their principal or those doing business with the state,” Byrd wrote in a letter to The News & Observer. “Former Governor Easley has fully complied with the law in this regard and all other regards.”

The spokesman, San Francisco-based political consultant Ace Smith, said the former governor played “very few and far between” rounds of golf, and the actual value of what he received from the club “never amounted to more than $200.” Smith said Easley followed all the rules.

The News & Observer

Oh please.  Of course it was more than $200.  This is a $10,000 a year club.  A round of golf has got to be in the neighborhood of $70 or $80 minimum.  Unless he only played two games his whole eight years in office he got more than his $200 worth.

That aside, is this really a big deal?  I don’t think it is.  The board of the club decided to give him free membership because he was the governor.  It’s not illegal and it wasn’t a campaign donation.  So he didn’t sign a form saying they gave it to him.  Well hell, let’s bring out the firing squad.  God knows there isn’t worse going on in Raleigh……

According to a July 12th poll taken by Public Policy Polling, Senator Richard Burr had better get his game on if he wants to see another term in the U.S. Senate.  While Burr is ahead of his potential Democrat challengers, his approval rating is hovering in the lower forties to mid thirties and he doesn’t poll any higher than 42% of the vote at this point in time.

Burr currently has an approval rating of 36% with 29% of state voters holding an unfavorable view of him.  A 36% approval rating for an incumbent is pretty piss poor, but Burr’s one saving grace is that the disapproval is even lower meaning that about a third of North Carolina voters aren’t sure what they think of him.  That still isn’t good, but it would be a lot more damning if his disapproval was in the fifties or sixties.

Against Democrat Cal Cunningham Burr wins 40% to 31% and against Kenneth Lewis he wins 42% to 31%.  Both of these fairly unknown candidates hold Burr well under the 50% mark which is considered safe territory for an incumbent politician.

There are so many factors going on right now that it’s really impossible to make any kind of prediction as to what Burr could face in next year’s election.  Governor Beverly Perdue (D) has an abysmal approval rating of 25% just after six months in office.  Former Governor Mike Easley (D) and his wife are under several corruption related investigations.  The Democrat State Legislature in North Carolina is ready to pass an astronomical tax increase.  Furthermore, throw in the quagmire going on at the Federal level with Cap and Tax, the failing stimulus legislation, the growing opposition to ObamaCare, and President Obama’s sinking popularity and Burr could end up sailing to reelection despite these numbers.

On the other hand, if the economy does pick up and employment begins a steady increase between now and November of next year and Obama begins to rebound back to higher approval ratings Burr could just as easily be retired.  I think Burr’s reelection will be more about the Democrats at both the state and Federal level than it will be about Richard Burr.

The State Bureau of Investigation is also investigating former Gov. Mike Easley.

Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office confirmed in a letter Monday to Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger that the SBI is working alongside the FBI in examining Easley’s activities. Federal officials have sought testimony or evidence related to a Carteret County land development where Easley bought a lot, car dealers who provided free vehicles to Easley and the N.C. State University officials who hired Easley’s wife and gave her an $88,000 raise.

“Attorney General Cooper earlier this year (emphasis mine)directed the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate matters related to the former Governor and other issues,” wrote Kristi Hyman, Cooper’s chief of staff. “Our agents have been working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The N&O

Well hey! Welcome to the party Roy! I’m glad you could finally show up.

Vultures have been circling around Easley’s rotten scent for years.  But only now, when he’s no longer in office and after everyone else has gotten in line to carve up his carcass does ol’ Roy finally decide to make an appearance.

No wonder this state is swirling down the drain.

And succeeds… somewhat.

He originally produced this as a web ad, but now he’s going to buy air time and put it on TV. I like this, and I think it’s what the party should be doing.

I have a few quibbles with the ad.  I know why Bev Perdue makes for an appealing target, but one of the few good things she’s done since taking office is to open up a lot of records that Easley tried to hide. She deserves some praise for that. We’d have nothing on Easley if she had decided to play party politics and stonewall investigators.

A better, if lower profile target, would have been AG Roy Cooper. As I’ve said many times, as AG for 8 years, he did nothing to stop or even slow down the Easley train. Meanwhile, as Democrats surrounding Cooper either end up in jail or under investigation, he still doesn’t do a damn thing. Now is Cooper as a high-profile as Perdue? No. But he’s the more sensible target because I think we can inflict more lasting damage on him.

Anyways, good for Fetzer. If he wins I hope he does more of these. If he loses, I hope whoever wins takes a cue from this. The Democrats in N.C. need to be called on carpet for what they’ve done to our state.

That’s the headline from several news organizations. The details haven’t been made clear yet. Could it be that our long national nightmare is over?

Nah…

New documents show that the Mary Easley job at N.C. State University was orchestrated at the highest levels of state government, and included the direct involvement of then-Gov. Mike Easley.

E-mail messages show the creation of the job for Mary Easley was orchestrated in April and May of 2005 by the governor and that her job formation also included his wife, Mary; the chancellor at N.C. State, James Oblinger; a key trustee, McQueen Campbell; a senior adviser to Easley who now heads the Golden Leaf Foundation, Dan Gerlach; and an NCSU lobbyist at the time, Andy Willis.

Until now, officials have all denied any involvement in the hiring other than by former Provost Larry Nielsen, who the records show was also involved in creating the position that gave Mary Easley an $80,000, three-year contract to oversee a speakers series and help teach a class.

The N&O

Update (From Bane Windlow): Oblinger has also resigned:

James Oblinger stepped down Monday as chancellor of North Carolina State University and the NCSU board terminated Mary Easley’s contract citing the decision was in the best interest of the university.

“I am doing so because that is what leaders do when the institutions they lead come under distracting and undue public scrutiny,” Oblinger said in a prepared personal statement. “This is particularly true for leaders of public institutions like NC State.

“The only reason I am announcing my intention to resign is that I am applying to myself the same standards I have asked Mrs. Easley to apply to herself: I am doing it because it is in the best interests of NC State University.”

The Business Journal

Uh yeah, not engaging in political corruption and completely illegal activities is most certainly in the best interest of NCSU.  I wonder what the terms were for this cushy position.  What did Mike Easley promise Oblinger in exchange for his wife’s position and salary.  This could get very interesting.  Jim Black is sitting in a Federal penitentiary right now for bribery.  Will he be getting some company?

You know the Greek story of King Midas? You know, the guy who turned everything he touched into gold ?

King Midas, meet Gov. Mike. Everything Governor Mike touches turns into a criminal investigation. It’s not quite as cool as turning stuff into gold, but it makes for an equally good cautionary fable.

Easley investigation stories are coming at us faster than Carolina Hurricanes fans jumping on the bandwagon, so I’ve put together a little rundown for our 10 or 11 readers-

According to the The N&O, “federal prosecutors Tuesday ordered the chancellor and provost at N.C. State University to appear before a grand jury this week, making it clear that investigators have opened a wide-ranging criminal probe of dealings surrounding former Gov. Mike Easley.” Meanwhile, Mary Easley has been advised to resign from her job at N.C. State. Despite no real qualifications (aside from being the wife of the governor, that is), Mary Easley was given a high-paying job at State while several close Easely croni, er, associates, where in charge.

Speaking of his associates, good ol’ boy McQueen Campbell (what a great southern name that is) is finding himself in a bit of trouble. It looks like ol’ McQueen and his pal Mike exchanged a lot of favors, and not all of them were legal. Campbell recently resigned from the N.C. State Board of Trustees that he was appointed to by Easley.

Meanwhile, State Highway Patrol Capt. Alan Melvin,  in charge of Easley’s protection for the past few years, was placed on administrative duties after being served with court papers. The Feds have asked the Highway Patrol to turn over information about the Easley family’s private travels.

And if that’s not enough, the State Board of Elections is finally starting to ask some questions about some campaign finance problems and an investigation is underway. Well, better late than never, guys.

Oh yeah, and Cameron McRae just resigned. He was a state transportation board member who flew Easley on his plane a couple times. Nope, nothing shady going on there.

And that’s just the big stuff. There’s more in there, but I think you get the picture.

And because I’m not a hyper-partisan hack (I am a hack, just not a partisan one), let me give a big heaping bag of kudos to Sen. Kay Hagan, who today said that she prefers that U.S. Attorney George Holding stay on until he’s done investigating the Easleys and John Edwards. Bane and I have our  disagreements with Hagan, but she did the right thing here and we thank her for it.

Meanwhile, Roy Cooper is nowhere to be seen. Just because he’s not running for U.S. Senate doesn’t mean I’m letting him off the hook. He’s still the Attorney General of North Carolina, and the governor of N.C. spent eight years dumping a big pile of horse manure right in front of him. Where were you Roy? Why are other people handling something YOU could have done something about? What do we pay you for? Hello? Roy???

Starting in 2003, Easley took at least 25 flights on private jets, some in apparent violation of campaign laws and ethics rules, documents and interviews show. Some flights were free. The value of others exceeded campaign contribution limits.

A review of state flight logs, records of private and political travel, Easley’s campaign reports and previously unavailable “governor’s event” forms from the state Highway Patrol raise questions about the privileges Easley accepted while he was a candidate and governor.

The N&O

This is a long piece and probably required a lot of investigative reporting, so I recommend you read the whole thing. To summarize, Easley, among other things, took free stuff (including a lot of plane rides) from cronies and didn’t report it, which is a violation of campaign finance rules. It’s very likely that Easley knew he was violating campaign finance rules, because he did his damndest to keep this stuff secret throughout his time in office.

In addition to these plane rides, Easley has also had a hard time explaining why he and family members drove cars that don’t belong to them and how he was able to buy a nice harborfront house for considerably less money than market value.

Another report from last weekend’s paper detailed Easley’s frequent trips to him home in Southport:

Travel records that Easley had long sought to keep private show that during his eight years as governor, Easley and his wife, Mary, commuted hundreds of times in state aircraft and vehicles between Raleigh and the quaint coastal village where they own a home on the Cape Fear River.

The Easleys’ travel came at the expense of taxpayers who paid for the troopers to take them to the coast and back, and protect them while in Southport.

The trooper home with river views on Southport’s Bay Street cost the state $72,000 in rent over the final three years of Easley’s term, according to invoices.

In that same time, troopers generated at least $40,000 in expenses tied to Southport travel, much of it accumulated one breakfast, lunch or dinner at a time.

The use of state aircraft to get the Easleys to Southport also came with a bill: more than $62,000 in the final three years of the administration alone.

Well, Bane and I have been telling you for some time that this guy is a crook. Now we can actually put some numbers on it. North Carolina voters should be ashamed that this thieving incompetent clown was in charge of their state for eight years. How pathetic.

I’ve been pretty hard on the N&O on this page- and it’s usually justified. But they did a great job with this report, and they should be commended. Investigative reports like this one make me concerned about the future of newspapers. Yeah, I know a lot of the American press is hopelessly and insanely liberal, but they’re also the best source of information on public corruption. Journalists have the resources and skills to conduct investigations like this one. I sure as hell don’t. If the N&O isn’t around to do this, who will?

Also, how long is it going to take for someone to start asking Roy Cooper what the hell we’re paying him for? If Richard Burr is smart (as smart as I am, anyways), he’ll attack Roy Cooper as the AG who was surrounded by a bunch of corrupt assholes who went to jail or ought to. Those that did go to jail (Jim Black, Frank Balance, etc.) were sent there by Feds or newspaper investigations, not the state AG’s office. Why is that? Could that be because all these guys are his buds? Could it be because most of these jailbirds are in the same party as Roy? Or could it be because Roy just doesn’t give a damn?

Corruption is bred in Raleigh like mosquitoes breed on swamp water, and yet our esteemed AG has done nothing about it. Where are you Roy?