7 Ways Roy Cooper Has Not Been A ‘National Leader’ As Attorney General | Eastern NC Now

    Roy Cooper's first television ad tries to reintroduce himself to the voters of North Carolina, claiming he has been a 'national leader' as attorney general of North Carolina. But upon closer look, the ad uses old, dated headlines from as far back as 2000 - before Roy Cooper was even sworn in as attorney general - to try and convince voters he is something that he is not.

    The truth is that North Carolina has not had an attorney general for a long time. For the last 16 years, Roy Cooper has failed to do his job and has consistently failed to defend the people of North Carolina.

    Here are 7 ways Roy Cooper has failed as Attorney General:


    Roy Cooper's ad tries to convince North Carolinians that he has taken on North Carolina's drug epidemic as attorney general. And while law enforcement officers across the state fight to lower drug abuse in our communities, the reality is that Roy Cooper has failed to effectively take on this challenge. Methamphetamine makers have been increasingly moving to North Carolina cities and suburbs, and our state is now in the top 10 list of states for meth production. (Martha Quillian & lauren Carroll, "Meth labs moving into North Carolina's suburbs," The News & Observer, 8/9/2012)


    Roy Cooper's Department of Justice was managed so poorly over the years that the SBI was removed from his control. In 2010, an audit of his department found more than 200 instances where they had withheld blood test results in cases in North Carolina to favor prosecutions and "robbed defendants of justice." (Mandy Locke, Joseph Neff & J. Andrew Curliss, "Scathing SBI audit says 230 cases tainted by shoddy investigations," The News & Observer, 8/12/2010)

    A 2011 CNN documentary titled "Rogue Justice" chronicled the long-standing problems at the State Bureau of Investigation, which led to potentially innocent people being prosecuted, put behind bars for crimes they didn't commit or even executed. (Chris Swecker & Michael Wolf, "An Independent Review of The SBI Forensic Laboratory," 8/18/2010)


    In 2002, then State Senator Kay Hagan found that the SBI failed to investigate as many as 20,000 rape kits, and since then the problems haven't been resolved. Law enforcement still complains of issues with the state crime lab holding up investigations. Unless there was a known suspect, the SBI refused to process the rape kits, leaving many victims waiting to find their perpetrators. Despite a person's right to a speedy trial, the backlog of cases has even lead to canceled or delayed prosecutions. ("Rape's evidence gathers dust," The Associated Press, 11/9/2002; "Officials: Backlog at NC crime lab leads to canceled prosecutions," Fox 8 1/12/2015)


    When the Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency drew up new regulations that would cause the average North Carolina family's utility bill to go up by $400, Cooper has refused to defend North Carolina against the EPA's overreach. (Mark Barrett, "Cooper: NC should develop air plan instead of suing," Asheville Citizen-Times, 8/12/2015; "Energy market impacts of recent federal regulations on the electric power sector, Energy Ventures Analysis, 11/2014)


    When the Obama administration wanted to assert more control over North Carolina streams, rivers, ponds and waterways, Roy Cooper has failed challenge the federal government's overreach. These overreaching water regulations would be devastating for North Carolina farmers and the agriculture community in North Carolina, exposing them to excessive fees. (Brent Kendall, "Governors' Attorneys General at odds over Obama policies," The Wall Street Journal 10/8/2015)


    Roy Cooper failed to join a bipartisan coalition 26-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare, and families are paying the price for it today. Premiums are skyrocketing because of Obamacare and Roy Cooper took no action to stop it. In fact, he still supports it. (Jon Camp, "NC Republicans challenge health care reform," ABC11, 1/27/201; "Insurance commissioner blames ACA for industry woes," The News & Observer, 2/3/2016)


    Despite his responsibility in enforcing environmental law and his role in setting environmental policy, Roy Cooper and his allies willingly ignored the coal ash problem in North Carolina, letting it fester over his 16-year tenure as attorney general.

    Roy Cooper may try and use the millions of dollars he has raised from trial lawyers and out-of-state special interests to rewrite history, but his record as Attorney General shows he has been a 'national leader' in not doing his job.

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