New analysis conducted by the Carolina Journal sheds light on the sources of Governor Roy Cooper’s campaign war chest and reignites questions about Cooper’s lack of transparency with the taxpayers of North Carolina.
Already facing a lawsuit for failing to comply with public record requests related to his fundraising trips to New York City, Cooper’s latest campaign finance report raises even more questions about his out-of-state travel. The Carolina Journal analysis states that “[i]f Cooper traveled on private aircraft, the value of the trip must be reported as a campaign contribution, and the contributor would have to be listed,” but points out that Cooper listed no such items on his report.
It appears Cooper could be following in his Democratic predecessors’ footprints – former North Carolina Democrat governors Mike Easley and Bev Purdue were both embroiled in legal trouble for failing to report travel expenses.
Cooper’s finance report does make one thing very clear – the elusive governor has endeared himself to the coastal elite liberal donor crowd. With over $600,000 from New York and California donors, including max donations from George Soros and his son, it’s clear Cooper has wandered so far leftward that he’s being embraced by some of the most extreme elements of the liberal apparatus. Cooper is so out of touch with North Carolina, he even launched his campaign in New York City.
“Governor Cooper is so desperate to hide his hobnobbing with extreme liberals like George Soros from North Carolina voters that he’s willing to withhold records and stonewall reporters to get away with it,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “That’s because he knows his far-left friends and financial backers prove how utterly out-of-touch he is with the vast majority of North Carolinians.”
Carolina Journal: Cooper Armed With Bicoastal Campaign Donations
Two trips to New York are at the heart of a lawsuit by Charlotte television station WBTV, filed Jan. 3 in Wake County. WBTV thinks Cooper is withholding public records showing how he traveled.
Incomplete or inaccurate reporting of campaign-related air travel got North Carolina’s past two Democratic governors in legal trouble. Mike Easley’s campaign committee was fined $100,000 and he later took a felony plea in state court for concealing a free flight that should have been paid by his campaign. Easley’s successor Bev Perdue’s campaign was fined $30,000 for failing to report flights. Several of her associates faced legal sanctions for their roles in campaign activities.
In December, Cooper campaign spokesman Morgan Jackson declined to tell WRAL of Raleigh whether Cooper attended any fundraising events when he was in San Francisco on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 for a Democratic Governors Association annual meeting. Jackson did not return a phone call from CJ seeking information on travel to other states for fundraising trips.
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Among the out-of-state contributors, Cooper received 503 contributions totaling $420,484 from New Yorkers. He received 417 contributions amounting to $185,165 from Californians. Some individuals gave several times, and each contribution is reported as a separate event.
Cooper’s notable New York donors include billionaire George Soros, his son Alexander Soros, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Each made the maximum $5,400 contribution for the primary election. Individuals may contribute another $5,400 for the general election after the March 3 primary.
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