Scott Mooneyham: More turbulence ahead for Easley

Minus one shocking revelation, Mike Easley might well have come out of the N.C. State Board of Elections hearing with little more than a fine for his campaign committee.

But there was that one surprise, a claim by the former governor’s former buddy, McQueen Campbell, that Easley more or less instructed him to concoct bogus invoices for air travel, to be billed to his campaign to cover the cost of home repairs.

Easley denied the claim. “It never, ever happened,” he said during five hours of testimony before the board.

For the board, the denial didn’t matter. A witness, credible in other respects, had made a claim that would constitute a crime. Nothing, other than Easley’s words, could disprove the allegations.

So the board voted unanimously to refer the case to a state prosecutor to try to determine whether a crime occurred.

Most everything else that came up in the hearing — the free airplane flights, the use of a car by Easley’s son, big money donations flowing through the state Democratic Party to aid the Easley campaign — was explained away as either an oversight or as legal.

In the case of the flights and car, Campbell and car dealer Bob Bleecker offered no testimony that really countered the claims of Easley that he believed the bills were being paid, that his campaign was paying.

Both Campbell and Bleecker acknowledged never sending invoices to governor or campaign. Outside of the home repairs, Campbell said nothing of any conversations that hinted of an attempt to hide the expenses.

But the oversights, real or feigned, weren’t forgiven either.

The Easley campaign received a $100,000 fine; the state Democratic Party was assessed a $9,000 fine.

Easley’s legal difficulties, though, don’t stop at whether he followed campaign finance laws. And they don’t stop at whether a state prosecutor will believe the former governor or a wealthy pilot who liked hanging out with politicians.

At times, the elections board brushed against some of those larger legal problems, ones that will determine whether a federal grand jury indicts the two-term governor for crimes more serious than failing to properly list campaign expenses.

This board, though, wasn’t charged with ferreting out whether $50,000 campaign donations were tied to decisions about boat ramp permits or whether other government actions were dependent on perks received. by Easley.

Other bodies, in other forums, will sort through that sordidness. In fact, for several months, behind closed doors, that federal grand jury has been doing exactly that.

If nothing else, Easley showed that he’s prepared to fight to defend his name.

He didn’t have to testify before the board. He could have invoked his rights against self-incrimination. Rumors around Raleigh were that he split with his original lawyer over a desire to testify.

In five hours of testimony, Easley demonstrated the charm that helped propel him to the governor’s mansion.

Sometimes charm will carry you a long way. Sometimes it won’t.

Scott Mooneyham

Capitol Press Association