N.C. Republicans want campaign investigation

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 16, 2009

RALEIGH

The N.C. Republican Party formally asked state elections officials yesterday to investigate Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue's campaign for potential campaign-finance violations when it reported some private campaign flights only recently.

The chairman of the state Republican Party, Tom Fetzer, sent a letter to Larry Leake, the chairman of the State Board of Elections, and the board's executive director, Gary Bartlett, asking them to investigate both Perdue's committee and the state Democratic Party.

The Bev Perdue Committee disclosed in August that 17 private flights received by Perdue during her successful 2008 bid for governor had not been properly reported or paid. The campaign also said it had reimbursed the aircrafts' owners more than $18,000 for the flights.

Marc Farinella, a spokesman for Perdue's campaign, and a Democratic Party leader called the request a political stunt. Farinella said that the Perdue committee is already working with elections officials to make sure that all expenditures have been accounted for properly. The campaign already said it had reported accurately several dozen other flights.

But Fetzer said that Perdue and her campaign should be held accountable by the board, just like it's doing with former Gov. Mike Easley.

The board will hold an investigatory hearing Oct. 26 into potential campaign violations by the Mike Easley Committee and the Democratic Party. Members of the elections board's staff has been examining free airplane flights taken by Easley while governor and whether their value exceeded maximum campaign donation limits.

Bartlett, who hadn't received Fetzer's letter yesterday, said that the election board's campaign-finance director, Kim Strach, had been talking with a Perdue committee lawyer about campaign reports. Bartlett said he wasn't aware of a formal investigation.

"If somebody does file a complaint, we have a duty to investigate it," he said.

Fetzer argues that the flights and campaign activities at issue are similar with both governors. But there are differences. In the Easley case, the state Democratic Party forfeited $20,000 in funds designated as in-kind air travel expenses from donors also identified as having flown Easley around on aircraft.

There's been no word that the Democratic Party has forfeited money related to flights and Perdue.