Highlights from the post-meeting interviews with interested media:
Larry Leake, State Board of Elections chairman:
I would think it would be
accurate to say that there has been concern, that we have received information which
has caused us concern, that we have asked questions about it that has to do
with the reporting of in-kind contributions and the check which was mailed in
byt the Democratic Party in excess of $24,000 in essence is a payment by the
party for monies which the party actually did not get but reported that it had
received in-kind contributions. And now there is some doubt as to where those
contributions were in fact rendered.
Leake also said no one should expect any other announcement from the board
before Labor Day.
I have not at any point in
time said there would not be a hearing … and I’m going to say to you that the
middle of September is not a long ways away.
Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina, who has raised concerns with the
elections board about Easley campaign finances:
I’m pleased that the chairman
has indicated how seriously the board takes the investigation, and I do believe
that the board has a strong track record of getting to the bottom of campaign
finance abuses.
…
There’s a pattern here. It’s
not just one case or two cases. There’s multiple cases, over and over and over
again. Second, we’re dealing with attorneys in the campaigns of the Easley
committee ? as well as the Democratic Party ? who understand the law and know
the law. So when you have over and over again large amounts of money spent for
products that benefit the campaign but are actually attributed to the party,
you know, that’s not an accident. That’s not just something we’re doing for
bookkeeping purposes. It’s a way to get around the law. And the chairman was
right, that it’s a problem in North Carolina that the party can be used as a
conduit to filter what would be illegal contributions. And they are, in fact,
illegal contributions when they’re filtered in that manner.
I think it is on purpose.
There will be an issue about criminal intent. The lawyers will argue about it.
But I think an ordinary person would recognize that this is a way to game the
system, to get around the law, to benefit my campaign. I’m cheating. I’m stealing.
I’m lying. All three of those things are happening here.
