The State Board of Elections has determined that Jim Black's campaign did break election laws by accepting contributions over the legal limit, by making contributions in the name of another contributor and by accepting over $27,000 in contributions from businesses.
While no action was taken against Black, Rep. Michael Decker (R-Forsyth) and Scott Edwards, treasurer of the optometrists' PAC were referred to the Wake County District Attorney's office for possible prosecution.
From the Charlotte Observer:
Investigators concluded that Decker, a Black ally, failed to disclose contributions, transferred campaign contributions for personal use without reporting them and filed false campaign reports. Edwards, a Murfreesboro optometrist, was accused of violating campaign contribution limits and filing a false report
Board members are planning to meet again before mid-March to listen to attorneys from both sides to determine if further action will be taken against Black.
For further reading see Charlotte.com.
Comments
Just what we need . . .
Dem's do it too! Nah-nah-nah-nah.
Come on Black. Step down. Now.
Impeachment
If a resignation is not forthcoming soon I would like to see an impeachment campaign started. This is the most unethical politics that I have ever heard of. It appears that Decker was paid to change parties and this had a dramatic effect on NC politics. People better be going to jail over this or I have lost all faith in NC and its politics. We are beginning to make SC look good.
The amounts of money just aren't big enough
to make a strong case. We're talking under $4,000 for Decker. That doesn't buy someone off in the real world. It's chump change and nobody can truly believe that he would change parties for that amount of money. He changed parties for any other number of selfish reasons, but not for such a small amount of money. The contributions were a thank you note from Black and not quid pro quo. Decker's illegal issues arise over the fact that he pocketed the contributions personally instead of putting them into his campaign.
While the business contributions are called "illegal" for Black it isn't uncommon for this to happen. Almost every major political candidate takes them and the SBOE and FEC have made allowances for them. In other words, you can take them and keep the money separate until a determination is made that they are in fact business contributions and then they must be refunded. The candidate isn't usually the person making the deposits and in the heat of a campaign there are sometimes tens of thousands being deposited at one time. It can be difficult to keep track of it all and most campaigns do a good job. These are usually punished with penalties and not jail.
Elizabeth Dole refuses to pay the fine on the illegal contributions she took. She took over $80,000 of them. That issue is still pending with the FEC and we almost never hear any flap about that.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Maybe if we start flapping about Dirty Dole NOW
the point will stick come 'lection time. Maybe.
Question: Hey Liddy. What's the difference between you and the other Republican crooks in North Carolina?
Answer: You're a woman.
OOOPS
Not fine...I don't think the FEC has levied a fine against Dole yet. She refuses to REFUND the illegal contributions. Same difference...she thinks it's OK for her to break the law.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.