RALEIGH
A political operative who guided former Gov. Mike Easley's two campaigns for North Carolina's top office appeared at a federal courthouse Wednesday as a federal grand jury met to hear more testimony about the Democratic governor.
Jay Reiff arrived with attorney Michael Weisel shortly before 9 a.m. Neither would talk with reporters as they entered the courthouse.
The State Board of Elections tried to subpoena Reiff for an investigative hearing last month, but board Chairman Larry Leake said the state's subpoena couldn't compel him to testify because he was working outside of North Carolina at the time.
During one of the hearings last month, the election board presented documents identified as fundraising strategies written by then-Easley campaign officials suggesting that the Democratic Party begin handling some Easley-dedicated contributions.
A memo from Reiff from May 2000 said they could move "any or all expenditures" from the campaign to the party and pay for them with contributions to the party.
State law allows a donor to give unlimited money to a party, but only as much as $4,000 to an individual candidate per election.
Subpoenas issued to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have asked six current or former agency officials to appear Wednesday before a federal grand jury meeting in Raleigh. That grand jury has been hearing testimony for months in a wide-ranging probe of Easley and his wife.
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