FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RALEIGH – Civitas President Donald Bryson will be filing a complaint* Wednesday morning with the North Carolina Ethics Commission. This complaint requests the Ethics Board issue an opinion regarding Governor Roy Cooper’s recent decision to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC. Civitas requests that special attention be given to the details surrounding the $57.8 million “slush fund.”
Civitas’s complaint questions the ethics of this action by Governor Cooper—while acting in his official capacity—to issue state permits for construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in what appears to be an exchange for private funds to be used at the governor’s discretion.
There are questions surrounding whether or not these funds could be considered an illegal gift under the State Government Ethics Act’s gift ban. Of particular concern is the potential that these funds might trickle into projects or accounts that benefit Governor Cooper and/or his political campaigns.
If declared ethical, this action sets a terrible precedent for what our elected officials can do outside of the constitutional process.
“This is a serious matter of public trust and transparency,” Bryson said.
“The Cooper administration has provided so few details about this unprecedented new slush fund. It’s critical the people of North Carolina know exactly what happened and whether any of Cooper’s actions violate ethics laws. We hope the Ethics Commission will provide details and issue a clear opinion on the governor’s actions.”
You can read the complaint in its entirety here.
*A technical correction was made to the first paragraph of the complaint and is reflected in the updated version.
Founded in 2005, the Civitas Institute is a Raleigh, NC-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy organization that fights to remove barriers to freedom so that all North Carolinians can enjoy a better life.
He is a Democrat. What can you expect from a Dem. Plus, he owns a fairly large parcel of land that is fairly close or in the path of the pipeline.
Thank you for opening our eyes to the corruption ongoing in our govern-
ment. It is a shame that people like myself who try to make it day by day have to concern ourselves that people serving our state, counties, towns, aren’t filling their pockets with behind the door
Pretty blatant and thoroughly disgusting
‘Looks to me like a bribe of sorts. The utilities coughing up huge sums to be meted out by a supposed middleman, the governor, to placate and hush the enviro groups or whoever.
The only thing more absurd that seeing ‘Ethics’ and Civitas in the same sentence is seeing ‘Ethics’ attached to any Government official in the era of Unlimited and Dark Money.
What new democrat can do anything they want & get buy with it not republican. Nothing will be done to our great democrat governor. PS people wakeup !!!!
Thank you Civitas for going after this crap. Bravo!
“Well everyone has an uncle that you don’t like to talk about,”…..that’s his excuse for everything conservative. Well looks like the weird “uncle,” is him and he’s got his hand in the cookie jar. Wonder why we don’t see this story on WRAL or other?
Way to go for bringing this to light.
thank you for taking the lead on investigating this ” pay for play ” . gov. cooper did not issue the permit for the pipeline he sold it. private industry should not have to pay shake down money to the state !
mayor chuck tyson
Interesting how NCCivitas chooses “featured” articles… In this case they themselves are part of the feature. A bit vain.