Republicans, McCrory try to spin Perdue's letter-gate

N.C. Republicans are making political hay with letter-gate, the latest controversy in Gov. Bev Perdue's office. And Pat McCrory is upping the ante, asking for an SBI investigation.

Perdue and her staff altered letters to help convince state lawmakers to fund two state transportation projects, even though a top Department of Transportation official said the money wasn't needed for another year.

“Today’s allegations about Governor Perdue’s unethical behavior are very troubling," state GOP executive director Scott Laster said. "And yet again, when conflict arises, Governor Perdue is nowhere to be found for an explanation. This is the latest addition to her embarrassingly scandal-plagued term as governor and will only solidify her standing as the least popular governor in America."

Republicans used the occasion -- naturally -- to tie Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, the Democratic nominee for governor, to Perdue. "Walter Dalton claims that he would govern differently than Perdue, but has never taken a proactive stance to explain how he would be different," Laster said.

Expect more political hay from either side. One of these projects is in the Charlotte area, home to a favorite Democratic target, House Speaker Thom Tillis.

McCrory's campaign later jumped on the bandwagon. McCrory made this statement: “If the reports are accurate, the blatant manipulation of data and facts to mislead is a continuation of the culture of deception and corruption by the executive branch. The current deafening silence from the Governor and Lt. Governor about another example of North Carolina’s broken government is a reminder that it will take an outsider to fix it,” said Pat McCrory. “There are many questions that deserve an answer from our executive leadership, including who knew what when about the falsification of documents with the intent to mislead. We call on the Governor to ask for an SBI review of this matter."