"Pay to play" allegations must be investigated
Published November 9, 2015
Editorial by Winston-Salem Journal, November 8, 2015.
The FBI is apparently asking questions about recent allegations that Gov. Pat McCrory improperly helped broker a government contract for Graeme Keith Sr., a friend and political donor, who wanted to renew $3 million in private prison contracts and possibly expand the contracts, according to reports in The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh’s News & Observer.
We hope there will be a thorough investigation.
McCrory arranged and attended a meeting between Keith and Secretary of Public Safety Frank Perry in October 2014, the papers reported. Perry was reluctant to renew the contracts, contending that private maintenance wasn’t saving money and posed a greater security risk.
Keith stated that he had been working on private prison maintenance for over 10 years, during that time donating a lot of money to political candidates, and said “it was now time for him to get something in return,” according to a Department of Public Safety memo.
Keith gave a total of $12,000 to McCrory from 2008 through 2012, the papers reported.
McCrory said he didn’t hear the statement about “something in return” because he was involved in a side conversation and he would have “walked out” if he heard it, the papers reported.
Still, that’s a pretty big detail to miss.
A series of behind-the-scenes meetings and message exchanges followed, and the contract was extended despite Perry’s protests, the newspapers reported.
In response to the news reports, McCrory alleged that the newspapers were treating him unfairly. The papers stand by their reporting.
It’s worth noting that the state Ethics Commission just dismissed two unrelated ethics allegations against McCrory. We’re glad to hear that.
In regard to the latest allegations, Keith said in prepared statement: “This misrepresentation is nothing more than an attempt to ascribe a nefarious purpose to what was simply a straightforward discussion of the cost savings resulting from privatizing prison maintenance services.”
Whatever happens next, there are strong indications that the McCrory administration ultimately pushed through a contract for the governor’s friend — surely more attention than most business owners receive. And there is strong evidence that this happened even though it was said private contracts pose a greater security risk. Such a serious warning shouldn’t be ignored.
It’s also disturbing and offensive to read the news reports of Keith’s expectation that he was owed something for his political contributions. It lends credence to the widespread notion that money can buy politicians’ favor.
It seems almost naпve to expect money to have no influence in politics, especially when its use is so ubiquitous. But in a democracy, money should not buy political favors. If the state is not there now, we need to move in that direction.
