Under the Dome: The reaction in NC to Trump’s conviction
Good morning! ☀️ Here’s what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.
Jurors have been listening since April 22 to the evidence against former President Donald Trump during his New York hush money trial. Their historic guilty verdict was announced Thursday, just before the judge was about to send them home for the evening. Here’s what North Carolina lawmakers said about the verdict. – Stephanie Loder, correspondent
TRUMP SENTENCING SLATED FOR JULY 11
The guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial on Thursday was met with reaction from both sides of the political aisle.
Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Wake County, wrote on social media, “this is how our legal system is supposed to function.”
Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Waxhaw, posted on social media, “Lawfare has reached its Waterloo. A reckoning is coming for gangster government.”
Republican Rep. Richard Hudson called the verdict “a complete and total sham.”
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis posted on social media that he was shocked by the verdict.
Republican Sen. Ted Budd called the verdict “a total disgrace.”
Trump was accused of falsifying business records connected to $130,000 spent to keep quiet adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, regarding an alleged sexual encounter she and Trump had prior to the 2016 election.
Jurors found Trump guilty on all counts.
Trump, 77, will be sentenced at 10 a.m. July 11. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Get the full story from Danielle Battaglia here.
WHO ARE FSU OFFICIALS ACCUSED IN MISSPENDING?
The North Carolina auditor released a report this week after finding nearly $700,000 in questionable purchases by the Fayetteville State University communications staff.
Here’s what we know so far about employees referred to in the report:
Joy Cook: Between 2022 and 2023, Cook was the associate vice chancellor for strategic communication at Fayetteville State, a position in which she led the university’s Office of Strategic Communication. She later briefly worked for the state House Democratic Caucus, which hired her earlier this month but said she resigned last week.
Morgan Osley-Pratt: The university’s former director of digital strategy, according to the Fayetteville Observer and CityView.
Tina Raines: The assistant vice chancellor for marketing and creative services.
According to the auditor’s report, the employees in the Office of Strategic Communication spent $692,239 that was not allowed under university policy or that didn’t have the proper documentation.
Among the questionable expenditures were:
$13,650 spent on items not allowed under policy like IT hardware and software, travel and gifts.
$5,506 spent on Amazon.com
A $1,009 bill to arrive early and fly first class to a conference in New York City.
A $287 rideshare to a spa while at the conference.
SBI spokesperson Anjanette Grube said the agency plans a review of the auditor’s report and will consult with the local District Attorney’s office.
Get the full story from Avi Bajpai and Vivienne Serret here.
PAC RUN BY MARK MEADOWS’ WIFE CLOSING AFTER FEC ALLEGES VIOLATIONS
A political action committee run by Debra Meadows, the wife of former President Donald Trump’s last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, faces a nearly $10,000 fine and is closing amid accusations of federal election law violations.
The Right Women PAC faces a $9,500 fine because it failed to report spending more than $191,871 on a campaign ad in 2022 for former Rep. Stella Yvette Herrell, a Republican from New Mexico, who was seeking reelection against Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez.
Election law requires any spending over $10,000 that happens 20 days or more before an election to file a 48-hour expense report. The PAC agreed to pay $9,500 by Monday.
The fine and closure resolve a dispute with the Federal Election Commission through an agreement between Right Women PAC’s attorney, Thomas Datwyler, and officials in the FEC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Office.
It’s not unusual for a super PAC to terminate itself following a significant FEC penalty, said Brett Kappel, an attorney with Harmon Curran focused on campaign finance, lobbying and government ethics law cases.
The committee agreed to shut down by July 27 and to close out its federal accounts.
Get the full story from Danielle Battaglia here.
CHILD CARE FUNDING
Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue and House Democratic Leader Robert Reives called on their Republican colleagues to expand funding for child care providers as federal grant money nears its expiration date at a press conference Thursday morning.
Democrats contrasted the child care funding they sought with Republicans’ aim to spend more money on private school vouchers known as Opportunity Scholarships. The state Senate voted May 2 to approve a bill providing more than $400 million in additional voucher funding over the next two years. GOP lawmakers said wealthy families should be allowed to decide how to allocate their children’s educational funds from their taxes, as previously reported by The News & Observer.
“How much more of an impact would hundreds of millions of dollars for childcare centers have on our state than handouts to wealthy families for private school tuition,” Reives said. “With the money proposed for the taxpayer funded voucher scheme, we could invest in child care subsidies to wipe away the current waitlist of more than 5,000 children. We could create a statewide rate floor that helps ensure rural, low-wealth communities can afford child care.”
Kim Shaw, founder of A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center, noted that hundreds of her colleagues face the “devastating possibility” of having to close their doors due to the funding gap.
According to Shaw, her administration is putting together a plan and has raised funds through bake sales to supplement the center’s budget.
— Vivienne Serret
That’s all for today. Check your inbox Sunday for more #ncpol news.
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