State Auditor Beth Wood testified today before the federal grand jury investigating former Gov. Mike Easley.
Most of the questions revolved around an unreleased audit reviewing the $170,000 salary paid to Mary Easley at N.C. State University before she was fired in June, according to Dennis Patterson, a spokesman for Wood.
Wood, a Democrat, had acknowledged in a previous interview that she had told her staff that one reason for not releasing the salary audit was that state Sen. Tony Rand, a powerful Democrat from Fayetteville and a long-time Easley supporter, would poke holes in it, reports Joe Neff.
Rand had represented Mary Easley when Wood's predecessor, Les Merritt, audited her European travels paid by tax dollars. Merritt found that some expenses were questionable.
Wood was worried whether the salary audit would stand up to close scrutiny, Patterson said.
"She told them Tony Rand is a good lawyer, and if he punched holes in the travel audit, he'd rip up this one," Patterson said.
More after the jump.
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The grand jury also asked whether Wood had been in any business ventures or taken any kind of money or payments from the Easleys or several people associated with them.
"There were none," Patterson said. "She went back through and doublechecked."
After Wood testified, her chief deputy, Wesley Ray, was questioned by the grand jury.
Comments
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 22, 2009 - 6:22am — informedGoes to show you can't legislate ethics any more than morality, and it doesn't take a team of lawyers to determine what's ethical any more than it does to determine what is immoral. The current crop of state leadership should be ashamed, and do whatever it takes to clean house. Camelot is dead, it only remains to be seen whether the coming revolution will be peaceful.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 21, 2009 - 12:22pm — rsquared11Something does not pass the smell test here. Of course, most things involving Easley, Rand, Wood, etc. don't. The fact that our auditor is crying about an audit being picked apart is funny. Don't most people that get audited complain? Come on......
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 21, 2009 - 6:28am — BitterEXdemocratGet Tony Rand's name OFF the NC Real Estate Commission HQ on Navajo Drive.
It makes Brokers sick when they arrive for pleasant business.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 8:12pm — AgentPierceIf Boss Hawg could get nailed in this it would be BIG. Rand is as slick as c*ap thru a Christmas goose.
I'd pay cash money to see that arrogant walrus hauled off in chains.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 7:42pm — robdarichPlease state the statute that designates audits be filtered through state legislators, is Tony Rand specifically assigned to this duty, or is this simply what it sounds and smells like?
Wasn't a new governor going to be all about the anti-corruption? That sure turned out to be a bag of nothing.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 6:33pm — HeatherbrookWhy would Beth Wood care if Tony Rand punched holes in Les Merrit's audit report? Did she forget that the audit was done before she became State Auditor?
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 6:06pm — TakingaimI'm with sky5714 and want to know about Susan Rabon's testimony. Seems like she could shed a lot of light on Easley's dealings and the hiring of many positions in his administration. Hope someone is following up and will report on this.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 5:49pm — guppyman45greasey easley slides again.
Wood just reserved her seat...
August 20, 2009 - 5:48pm — PoliticalJunkie...on the same bus that took Meg Scott Phipps to the Women's correctional facility in W. Va.
She's in way way way over her head. And she just missed the life preserver that was thrown her way. Oh well, just confirms she ain't real bright.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 4:32pm — sky5714Plato -
WRAL has the 39-pg audit document - just search "former easley aide ..." - it was with yesterday's story.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 4:32pm — The_Nags_HeadI sort of wish I were on one of these grand juries but it's probably better that I'm not. I'd be too tempted to laugh out loud at some of these assertions.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 4:17pm — PlatowasrightWhen does Tony get to sit on the hot seat?
When do we get to read the republican auditors report that she and Tony are still sitting on?
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 4:12pm — sky5714Never saw the N&O report on attorney Susan Rabon testifying for 3 hrs yesterday (maybe I missed it). She was Easley's assistant when he was AG & as governor, and Easley gave her a plum position on the Utilities Commission (salary $123K?) in December, right before he left office. She & her husband have a second home in Southport too.
Re: Wood testifies about Easley audit
August 20, 2009 - 3:11pm — tboard47smells, smells, smells
and Rand may be the source