The first day of the State Board of Elections hearing included plenty of big moments.
Here are four highlights of today's testimony.
HOUSE WORK: Gov. Mike Easley had problems with the renters in his Raleigh home. He asked his friend and political supporter, McQueen Campbell to take care of it. Twice Campbell fixed up the house at a cost of $11,000 or more. Campbell testified that when he asked Easley for money, he understood the governor wanted him to file a false invoice for a flight.
WASN'T ME: Easley's defense may be geared around putting blame on others. Easley's lawyer took pains to point out that Easley never told Campbell to falsify invoices and that Easley's campaign didn't pay for flights because Campbell never submitted invoices for them.
WISH LIST: Fundraiser Lanny Wilson briefed Easley on a host of helpful facts to get him ready for his meeting with Gary Allen, a Charlotte fundraiser. Easley needed to know that Allen wanted to keep his seat on the Wildlife Commission and was trying to get a permit for a boat dock. The meeting went well. Allen gave $50,000 to the N.C. Democratic Party.
PARTY MAN: Easley fundraisers said they were told by Easley's campaign that big checks given to the party would go to the Easley campaign. The message was delivered Wilson said, by Easley attorney and aide Ruffin Poole.
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Re: Day 1 highlights
GiggleBox implies that N&O/Dome shouldn't thoroughly report on the SBOE proceedings. Perhaps this is because GB supports elected officials who commit crimes, or perhaps GB just thinks that bygones should be bygones and there's no sense in investigating corruption that has already occurred. Then again, maybe GiggleBox only thinks this way about certain individual politicians or politicians of a certain political party.
Under any scenario, such an attitude is reprehensible and demonstrates disdain for transparent, accountable government and contempt for honest public servants. It's kind of like spitting all over the entire state of North Carolina.