NC Democratic Party Campaigning on Roy’s $58 Million Slush Fund?

RALEIGH – Though it has gone quite over the past several weeks, you might remember a little scandal involving Roy Cooper, a pipeline permit, and a $58 million slush fund that the governor would have direct control over.

The General Assembly quickly called Corrupt Cooper out over the attempted slight of hand and passed legislation directing the funds to school districts within the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, instead of the economic development goodie bag Cooper planned to dole out.

Democrats came to the governor’s defense, but quickly proclaimed there is ‘nothing to see here.’ That’s why it’s curious that they now seem to be putting the issue in front of voters again with a wild distortion of the real scandal.

“The state Democratic Party has sent out mailers targeting Republican lawmakers from eastern North Carolina, telling voters they “raided” money that would have helped create jobs in the area.

Unmentioned in the fliers: that the $58 million in question was reallocated to schools in eight eastern counties. There’s also no mention of the controversy surrounding Gov. Roy Cooper’s negotiation of the fund.

It’s unclear how many fliers went out. Party spokesman Robert Howard declined to say what districts were targeted or how much was spent. The two lawmakers WRAL News has seen fliers targeting, state Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, and state Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, appear on a list of top legislative targets Democrats shared with reporters with this week.

“Republicans stepped on a landmine with their political, partisan attacks on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline fund and put new districts in rural, eastern North Carolina into play,” Howard said in an email.”

Do Democrats really think it’s a good idea to draw voters’ attention back to that time when the Democratic governor tried to secretly flout the constitution to control a slush fund that would benefit developers and politicos in his own back yard?

Cooper has yet to answer legitimate questions posed by the General Assembly about the timing of the ACP permit approval and securing the millions in ‘voluntary’ funds, as well as why he would purposely work to keep the money out of the state treasury and under his control.

Moreover, Cooper has, through out his campaign and first year as governor, described education as a critical foundation for economic development. They money the legislature “raided” will go to schools. That is, if the “voluntary” payment actually comes through.

“Jones, R-Tabor City, said his voters “are smart enough to see through this.” He also pointed to Cooper’s past references to education as a crucial part of economic development, something Republicans have mentioned a few times as the two sides seek a rhetorical advantage over the pipeline fund.

“I’m wondering if the Democratic Party is calling Gov. Cooper a liar,” Jones said.”

I better bet is that the N.C. Democratic Party take Eastern North Carolina voters for fools, and have no problem spreading misinformation to score political points.

Read more here.