RALEIGH -- The head of the N.C. Republican Party said Monday that he is frustrated that the State Board of Elections hasn't dropped the hammer on Gov. Bev Perdue over campaign finance problems.
As he has in a series of news conferences held in the past several months, party Chairman Tom Fetzer said that Perdue, a Democrat, deserves a public hearing with sworn witnesses - the type of event the board held for former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, who was eventually fined $100,000 for failing to disclose campaign flights.
"Why hasn't Gov. Perdue been put under oath to answer the same questions that Mike Easley has been asked?" Fetzer said at the party headquarters in Raleigh.
Perdue's campaign says it has been open and aggressive about finding and fixing problems in her campaign finance reports.
The elections board is looking into all gubernatorial candidates for the last two election cycles. The investigations take time, said Gary Bartlett, executive director of the elections board.
"We're working on it," Bartlett said. "I'm certain that what he is trying to do is keep everything in the public domain to keep doing what he thinks is right for his party. You just can't do everything instantly."
Campaign finances have become a political mud ball in the wake of Easley's hearing. Fetzer and the Republican party have been trying to link Perdue to Easley's troubles. Easley's administration has been the focus of a federal criminal investigation for about a year.
Perdue has disclosed 31 campaign flights that were not property documented or paid for. Democrats have pointed out that Republican candidates for governor may have similar problems with unreported flights.
Both political parties are trying to claim they are on the ethical high road.
"The Perdue committee has shown beyond a doubt that it is willing and ready to address its problems and mistakes head on, which is far more than Mr. Fetzer and the Republican gubernatorial candidates have shown," said Marc Farinella, a consultant with Perdue's campaign, noting that the campaign has been conducting its own audit.
Fetzer's attempt to increase the pressure on the elections board comes days after Perdue forfeited $48,000 in contributions from donors who work for or were related to Rusty Carter, a major Democratic fundraiser. Fetzer first pointed out the connection in a February news conference, and Perdue's campaign said Friday that it was giving up the money because it was concerned that the contributors had been reimbursed for their donations, which would be a violation of state law.
Fetzer noted that three of the five elections board members are Democrats, and he wondered whether they could investigate a sitting governor.
"It's time for the State Board of Elections to get their heads out of the sand," Fetzer said. "How many more violations of North Carolina law does Bev Perdue and her campaign get to acknowledge before the State Board of Elections launches an investigation?"
Bartlett said that he has not heard from any board members about Perdue and that his staff operates independently from the appointed members.
"What we're trying to do is get honest and fair and prompt disclosure. And certainly, when it comes to the point where you need to do investigations and enforcement, we're going to do it and we've never shied away from it," Bartlett said.
