New Radio Ad, "Downfall," Ties Roy Cooper to Hillary Clinton's Email Troubles | Eastern NC Now

    Press Release:

What is Roy Cooper Hiding?

    Raleigh, N.C.     The McCrory campaign's newest radio ad, "Downfall," shines a spotlight on Roy Cooper's lack of transparency in his 16 years as attorney general, tying him to Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

    Listen

    Despite serving as North Carolina's attorney general for 16 years, Roy Cooper has only sent approximately 14 emails, according to media reports. Cooper also defended the Easley administration's illegal practice of deleting emails to skirt public record disclosure laws.

    Transcript:

    VOICEOVER: Emails could may well be the downfall of Roy Cooper. I know. Not the name you were expecting. We know of Hillary's problems: 33,000 emails conveniently erased. What was she hiding? But Roy Cooper vouched for Hillary's honesty, her trustworthiness. And Cooper also defended disgraced former governor Mike Easley when he tried to run a secret email scam. As Attorney General, Cooper tried to get the case against Easley dismissed. When he failed, he urged that it be settled. Cooper was wrong on Hillary, wrong on Easley. But got to give him some credit: He did learn one thing. 14 emails. That's all Roy Cooper sent in four terms as attorney general. 14 emails. Hm, what is Roy hiding?

    GOVERNOR PAT McCRORY: Paid for by the Pat McCrory Committee. Authorized by Pat McCrory, candidate for governor.

    Background:

    Roy Cooper argued that Hillary Clinton is trustworthy. Watch here >

• CHUCK TODD: A quick 30-second follow-up. As you know, a majority of North Carolinians do not think Hillary Clinton is honest and trustworthy. Do you?
• ROY COOPER: I think she is much more trustworthy than Donald Trump. I believe that the Secretary will help to keep our country more safe and more secure, and she certainly is not going to be a dangerous like Donald Trump, who Governor McCrory supports.

    Roy Cooper has only sent approximately 16 emails during his 16 years as North Carolina's attorney general, potentially intentionally skirting public records laws to avoid accountability. (WRAL, 8/14/2016)

    The News & Observer: "Cooper has one of state government's most restrictive media policies." (News & Observer, 6/1/2008)

    This isn't the first time Roy Cooper's earned criticism for hypocrisy and a lackluster commitment to open government and transparency.

• "Both Gov. Mike Easley and Attorney General Roy Cooper can give a heck of a speech about open records, open meetings and transparency in government. It all sounds quite promising. But when it comes time to producing information that belongs to the taxpayers who provide the bulk of the state's $20 billion-plus annual budget, the promise of transparency becomes murky, bordering on opaque." (Op-ed: "More transparency needed at the state level of public records," The Charlotte Observer, 12/23/2008)
• "Why do the governor and the attorney general apparently want this information kept confidential? Is there something they do not want the public to see? Could information in the records somehow be embarrassing to high-ranking current or former officials? What's the big deal about looking at the number of hours a public employee worked?" (Op-ed: "The whole story," The News & Observer, 9/25/2004)
• "It's curious, and disappointing, that publicly elected officials sometimes seem to fail to understand the importance of full disclosure of information when the public's business is done and the public's money is spent" (Op-ed: "The whole story," The News & Observer, 9/25/2004)

    After former Governor Mike Easley was charged with destroying public records, Roy Cooper defended him.

• "Attorney General Roy Cooper has asked a state judge to dismiss a lawsuit against embattled former Gov. Mike Easley and several top officials from his administration, arguing that because Easley is no longer in office, and others named in the suit no longer hold the jobs they did with Easley, they cannot be held liable for alleged violations of the state's open records law." (Rick Henderson, "Cooper: Easley's lawbreaking doesn't matter," Carolina Journal, 12/9/2009)

• Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee
•     media@patmccrory.com