Who wrote Easley’s finance plans? It is a mystery.
Mike Easley and every other witness have danced around this question for some reason. The best Easley could do was say that Dave Horne was much more involved in 2000 than in 2004. Mike Easley does not remember where his campaign headquarters were. Easley never went to the Headquarters in 2004, but in 2000 he did visit the headquarters to make phone calls.
He is sure that he went to the Democratic Party Headquarters for different functions during his campaigns. Easley believed that everyone in his campaigns knew that they had to follow the rules. Kept John Wallace close for campaign finance questions and used the State Board of Elections as a resource.
Easley made it very clear that he was very busy with the business of the State’s Attorney General’s office in 2000 and Governor’s office in 2004 and did not have time to concern himself with the details of the Campaign. He stated that “he wasn’t in the loop on things” and they kept things away from him because he may have made changes. He didn’t get status reports about the campaign – his concern at all times was media and the bottom line.
Easley was asked why Campbell wouldn’t file invoices for all the flights he provided Easley. Easley said he didn’t know
Mr. Cordle was the State Board of Elections member to put everything in perspective on Mike Easley’s behalf. Mr. Cordle said that Easley had been in public life for 30 years ran for US Senate, Attorney General, and Governor and has raised a lot of money over the years. Mr. Cordle reiterated that Easley did like to be involved in fundraising. Cordle said that Easley likes governing and not fundraising and Easley agreed.
Millions of dollars, thousands of contributors, opposition from both Republicans and Democrats – newspapers have brought out things that Easley didn’t know about until Easley read them. Mr. Cordle said that this investigation has come down to leased cars and airplanes and that Easley had tried to correct the wrongs when he found out about them. Mr. Cordle stated Easley knew that only the Democratic Party made decisions on how to use contributions to the Combined Campaign. Mr. Cordle also said that the last issue was the repairs that Campbell did for Easley’s rental home and that Easley knew nothing about Campbell submitting an invoice for travel instead of the home repairs.
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