Forget the specifics of the governor’s slimy treatment of HHS flack Debbie Crane and his administration’s serial problem with the truth.
Even put aside Crane’s confirmation that the Easley team tried to duck critics at every term:
In an interview Tuesday, the day she was fired, Debbie Crane said the governor’s office told state public information officers not to return calls from the conservative think-tank.
“There are certain people you’re not supposed to talk to, like if the John Locke Foundation calls, you’re not supposed to return their calls,” Crane said. “Basically we just sort of tried to ignore that or go a back way but you weren’t supposed to return the John Locke Foundation’s calls.”
Yeah, big frickin’ surprise. The larger issue though is Crane’s charge that the Easley administration systematically destroyed email, which are state records. An Easley lawyer has immediately denied that charge. Big surprise there, too.
Think about it. Jim Black goes to the federal pokey, based in part on emails which helped to reveal his crimes, his schemes, and his plots. Those emails made clear that Meredith Norris was still effectively working for Black despite leaving his staff. Kevin Geddings’ email also helped to put him in jail by documenting his links to a lotto company, links he denied in a state disclosure form.
You really think the Easley Gang looked at all this going on around them — and did nothing?
Watch to see if someone else on the inside comes forward to substantiate Crane’s claim. Someone a little nervous about maybe being prosecuted for his or her role in the destruction of state records, newly educated by the speed with which Easley threw Crane under a bus.
Also, the N&O must smell blood now. Throw in all the flux cased by an election year and the situation is ripe for someone to crack.
