Roy Cooper's Not So Small Conflict-Of-Interest | Eastern NC Now

News Release:

    If your personal lawyer was taking money under the table from the very person you're facing off with in court, you would fire them immediately for unethical behavior and a serious conflict of interest. They may even be disbarred. Yet, when it comes to the Voter ID case, Roy Cooper is taking campaign contributions from the very people funding the lawsuit while he says he's defending the law in court. This raises serious professional and ethical questions about the attorney general as he pursues a campaign for the governors mansion.


    Background:

       As Attorney General And As Candidate For Governor, Roy Cooper Says He Opposes Voter I.D. Laws

    •  "Cooper Knocks Voting Rights Law" (Craig Jarvis, "Cooper knocks voting rights law," The News & Observer, 1/20/2016)

    •  "AG Cooper Urges Governor to Veto Restrictions on Voting" (Press Release: "AG Cooper urges governor to veto restrictions on voting," North Carolina Department of Justice, 7/26/2013)

    Yet As Attorney General, Cooper Defended The Voter I.D. Law In Court

    •  "Defenders of the law, including lawyers for Gov. McCrory and the North Carolina Department of Justice, say the 2013 law was necessary to prevent voter fraud..." (Christopher M. Matthews, "North Carolina's voter-ID law goes on trial in federal court," The Wall Street Journal, 1/24/2016)

    •  Former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr On Cooper: "It's like you're undermining the arguments that your lawyers are supposed to be making" (Jim Morrill, "Roy Cooper on his run for governor: NC has gone 'off the tracks'," The News & Observer, 2/28/2016)

    George Soros Made The Maximum $5,100 Contribution To Roy Cooper's Gubernatorial Campaign (Cooper For North Carolina, "2016 First Quarter Disclosure Report," North Carolina State Board of Elections," 3/7/2016)

    •  "George Soros, a liberal billionaire philanthropist who lives in New York City" (Craig Jarvis, "Slicing, dicing the money in the NC governor campaign, The News & Observer, 3/12/2016)

    •  Soros Has Contributed Millions Of Dollars To Fight Voter I.D. Requirements

    "George Soros Bankrolls Democrats' Fight in Voting Rights" (Maggie Haberman, "George Soros Bankrolls Democrats' Fight in Voting RIghts," The New York Times, 6/5/2015)

    "But it turns out that Mr. Soros has already agreed to put as much as $5 million into the litigation effort..." (Maggie Haberman, "George Soros Bankrolls Democrats' Fight in Voting RIghts," The New York Times, 6/5/2015)

    Contact: North Carolina Republican Party

        communications@ncgop.org