In August when the State Board of Elections assessed the Perdue Campaign a $30,000 fine for failing to report more than 40 flights, Board Chairman Larry Leake voted against holding public hearings where Perdue staffers would have been questioned under oath. Per the News & Observer, Leake said about his vote: “In my view we have learned all there was to learn. I did not think there was anything to be gained through conducting an evidentiary hearing…we have asked everybody under the sun.”
Leake is now singing a different tune since the Wake County District Attorney, a Democrat like Perdue and Leake, has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate whether any criminal activity took place with regards to the unreported flights. According to the Charlotte Observer, Leake has said that the board may not have taken enough time to fully investigate the unreported flights issue before closing out the investigation.
Why did Leake not vote to continue the investigation back in August if he really believes that the board may not have done its due diligence? Could it be that the politically appointed chairman who has served under three Democrats did not wish to further investigate out of fear that something new may be uncovered?
It is good to see that the Wake County District Attorney, Colon Willoughby, was able to rise above politics to fulfill his duties. Leake, on the other hand, deserves criticism for his obviously political stance on the Perdue Campaign Investigation. How can we trust that campaigns are properly monitored and investigated with such politically motivated leadership and the State Board of Elections?
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