When he first took office, Gov. Mike Easley put his Raleigh home up for sale. Then, he took it off the market and looked for a renter.

He said Wednesday that he found one: his campaign.

He testified that a $14,000 check to a realty management company from campaign funds was for his home.

It was not clear who was staying in the house at that time, and Easley said he has been careful about talking to others because of a continuing federal probe.

He also said that his son's housing bill while attending UNC-Chapel Hill had gone unpaid for some time, apparently this year.

Easley said that he learned this summer -- he didn't say how he learned -- that Michael Easley Jr.'s rent hadn't been paid.

"I found out at the end of the summer that I owed $4,200 for my son's rent and utilities," Easley said.

He said a personal assistant had been paying the bills previously, but that no invoices were coming in and so, more recently, he didn't know to pay them.

When someone came to him about that, Easley said, he wrote a check for the housing.

It was unclear for what time frame the housing was unpaid, and Easley declined to take questions.