Davy Jones’ Locker
April 14, 2011 - by
In theory state law says the maximum contribution you or I or anyone else can give a State House or Senate candidate is $4,000 per election – but it turns out legislators left a loophole in the law.
Say a group – like the Medical Society – gives Senator Louis Pate $4,000.
Then the loophole comes into play: Next the Medical Society gives Republican Senate Leaders Phil Berger, Harry Brown, Tom Apodaca, and Bob Rucho (who face easy reelections or have no opponents) $4,000 each.
Then Berger, Brown, Apodaca and Rucho give the Senate Republican Caucus $20,000 and the Caucus gives (or spends) $20,000 to elect Louis Pate.
Well, you might say, Whoever heard of such a thing happening.
In Raleigh, it turns out, a lot of people have.
Over the last two elections, Senate Leader Phil Berger has taken over $640,000 from individuals and political action committees – like the Medical Society – and passed it on to the Senate Republican Caucus which passed it on to or spent it on Republicans like Senator Pate. And it’s all perfectly legal.
Republican State Representative John Blust has sponsored a bill to close the loophole.
Of course, it’s likely Senator Berger and Representative Thom Tillis, the Speaker of the House, are going to send Blust’s bill straight to Davy Jones Locker.
Davy Jones’ Locker
April 14, 2011/
In theory state law says the maximum contribution you or I or anyone else can give a State House or Senate candidate is $4,000 per election – but it turns out legislators left a loophole in the law.
Say a group – like the Medical Society – gives Senator Louis Pate $4,000.
Then the loophole comes into play: Next the Medical Society gives Republican Senate Leaders Phil Berger, Harry Brown, Tom Apodaca, and Bob Rucho (who face easy reelections or have no opponents) $4,000 each.
Then Berger, Brown, Apodaca and Rucho give the Senate Republican Caucus $20,000 and the Caucus gives (or spends) $20,000 to elect Louis Pate.
Well, you might say, Whoever heard of such a thing happening.
In Raleigh, it turns out, a lot of people have.
Over the last two elections, Senate Leader Phil Berger has taken over $640,000 from individuals and political action committees – like the Medical Society – and passed it on to the Senate Republican Caucus which passed it on to or spent it on Republicans like Senator Pate. And it’s all perfectly legal.
Republican State Representative John Blust has sponsored a bill to close the loophole.
Of course, it’s likely Senator Berger and Representative Thom Tillis, the Speaker of the House, are going to send Blust’s bill straight to Davy Jones Locker.