North Carolina

North Carolina will not prosecute Mark Meadows for voter fraud

Published

2 years ago

December 30, 2022

North Carolina will not prosecute Mark Meadows for voter fraud

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Mark Meadows, who was chief of workers to President Donald Trump, won’t be charged for voter fraud associated to his 2020 registration and absentee vote in North Carolina, the state’s chief regulation enforcement official introduced Friday.

Meadows and his spouse, Debra, had been beneath investigation after media stories that the previous North Carolina congressman’s voter registration listed a cellular dwelling in Scaly Mountain, N.C., that he had by no means owned, stayed at or visited. However authorities had been proven proof that Meadows and his spouse leased the house, Debra did keep there for brief intervals, and there was no proof the couple “knowingly swore to false data contemplating the signed lease,” stated Legal professional Normal Josh Stein (D).

Meadows is “explicitly excepted from sure residency necessities because of his service to the federal authorities,” Stein added.

“The State Bureau of Investigation carried out an in depth investigation into the fraud allegations towards Mr. and Mrs. Meadows regarding their registration and voting within the 2020 elections,” Stein stated in a press release. “After an intensive evaluate, my workplace has concluded that there’s not ample proof to carry fees towards both of them on this matter.”

In 2020, Meadows registered to vote at N.C. cellular dwelling that he reportedly by no means lived in

Meadows’s spokesman, Ben Williamson, declined to remark in regards to the prosecutorial resolution.

In 2020, Meadows modified his registration after he offered his dwelling in North Carolina’s eleventh Congressional District, which he represented from 2013 till that 12 months. From March 2020 to January 2021, Meadows served as Trump’s chief of workers. He had a apartment in Virginia close to Washington, however he didn’t personal property in North Carolina.

Meadows solid an absentee poll by mail within the battleground state for the November common election whereas his registration listed the cellular dwelling as his residence. Trump gained the state by 1.3 share factors.

The New Yorker, which first reported on Meadows’s registered handle, interviewed a earlier property proprietor who stated Meadows’s spouse had rented the property for a brief interval and spent just one or two nights there throughout every go to.

In line with a state Division of Justice memo about causes for declining to cost within the case, the couple supplied investigators with a signed year-long lease for the house that started on Sept. 1, 2020. Debra Meadows additionally shared cellphone logs for 2 days in October that confirmed her inserting calls within the space.

Meadows was faraway from North Carolina’s voter rolls whereas the fraud investigation was ongoing. North Carolina State Board of Elections spokesman Patrick Gannon stated Meadows was eliminated “after documentation indicated he lived in Virginia and final voted within the 2021 election there.”

Inside Mark Meadows’s remaining push to maintain Trump in energy

Though Stein stated Meadows shouldn’t be charged with voter fraud, he criticized Meadows’s historical past of supporting Trump’s false claims of voter fraud within the 2020 election that stoked the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Final week, the bipartisan panel investigating the storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob launched a report inserting blame on “one man,” Trump, however naming others within the former president’s circle, reminiscent of Meadows, who supported him.

Earlier this 12 months, the Home really useful that Meadows be charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 choose committee, however the Justice Division declined to prosecute him.

“I urge federal prosecutors to carry accountable each single one that engaged in a conspiracy to place our democracy in danger,” Stein stated. “Not one of the issues involving January sixth, nonetheless, are related to the particular allegations of voter fraud regarding Mr. and Mrs. Meadows that had been referred to my workplace for evaluate.”

Stein added that he reserved the best to reopen the case if new data comes ahead.

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North Carolina

Fact Check: California, North Carolina get same recovery cost coverage from federal gov’t

Published

6 hours ago

January 16, 2025

Press Room

Fact Check: California, North Carolina get same recovery cost coverage from federal gov’t

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – As wildfires ravage parts of Los Angeles and Southern California this month, federal, state, and local authorities have mobilized resources to combat the flames and assist affected communities.

Their response echoes the efforts made in North Carolina just months ago, when Hurricane Helene left widespread devastation in its wake.

A viewer named Dina asked the following question: “Why is the federal government covering 100% of the recovery costs for the California wildfires, but not doing the same for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in North Carolina?”

Her question relates to a claim being spread around social media that the government is allegedly paying for 100% of the damage in California, but not in North Carolina.

WBTV’s Fact Check team investigated the claims and found them to be false.

Here’s what we found.

Federal funding for wildfire recovery

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would cover 100% of certain wildfire recovery costs in California for the next 180 days.

“The federal government is going to cover 100% of the cost for the next 180 days for things like firefighter overtime pay, debris removal, temporary shelters … It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles back to where it was,” Biden said during a press conference.

Typically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, aka FEMA, covers 75% of disaster recovery costs, with the remaining 25% funded by state and local governments. However, under federal law, the U.S. president has the authority to increase the federal cost-share for recovery efforts.

Beach front homes are destroyed by the Palisades Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)(Mark J. Terrill | AP)

What about North Carolina?

Turns out, less than a week after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in September 2024, President Biden and FEMA announced that the same adjustment was made for Helene recovery in North Carolina.

Put another way: North Carolina has also had 100% of public recovery funds covered by the federal government since Oct. 2, 2024.

A release from the North Carolina governor’s office and FEMA explained how the president raised the federal contribution from 75% to 100% for the first 180 days of recovery. (The same time period that was just established in California).

After the six-month period, the cost-share for public assistance projects was increased from 75% to 90%. Click here to read the official FEMA release about this.

—> North Carolina Red Cross volunteers deploy to support wildfire victims in California

The verdict

President Biden’s decision to increase the federal cost-share for California wildfires is consistent with the aid provided to North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

Claims that the federal government is covering a higher percentage of recovery costs in California compared to in North Carolina are false. Both states received identical cost-share adjustments.

If you have further questions or claims you’d like us to investigate, feel free to reach out to us at factcheck@wbtv.com.

—> State releases names of 104 Helene victims in North Carolina for 1st time: See list here

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North Carolina

Proposed federal whale rule that would have devastated NC businesses has been withdrawn

Published

14 hours ago

January 16, 2025

Press Room

Proposed federal whale rule that would have devastated NC businesses has been withdrawn

A federal rule proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) that would have dealt a devastating blow to businesses and tourism along the East Coast, from Massachusetts to Florida, including North Carolina, has been withdrawn by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

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North Carolina

Apex father of 3 represents North Carolina in 2025 Presidential Inauguration

Published

22 hours ago

January 16, 2025

Press Room

Apex father of 3 represents North Carolina in 2025 Presidential Inauguration

APEX, N.C. (WTVD) — Colonel Josh McConkey has spent more than two decades serving our country, in both the Army and Air Force Reserve. He’s now a Commander at Andrews Air Force Base of the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron.

“I’ve got to do some pretty special things. I spent time with combat search and rescue. I’ve flown as a flight surgeon, spent time in Rwanda with the State Department,” Col. McConkey told ABC11.

On Monday though, he’ll get to do something that will mark a first for the decorated servicemember, leading the Air Force Reserve delegation at the 2025 Presidential Inauguration.

“I marched a lot when I was a kid and grown up in marching band. So, this is a lot of fun for me, but being able to take part in something like this, being a part of history is pretty special,” Col. McConkey said.

He leaves Thursday to head to Washington DC with months of preparation leading up to this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

ALSO SEE: Biden, in farewell address, warns about dangers of unchecked power in wealthy

“A lot of logistics and security: we received a 108-page PowerPoint presentation just to go over. There’s a lot of history behind that, a lot of procedure and then the security concerns alone. So, you know, things have been very tight lipped on that, but the practices we’ve done three or four practices and you’re marching out in the cold and the snow. Hopefully it’s going to be above freezing on Inauguration Day,” McConkey said.

When not serving in the Air Force Reserve, Col. McConkey is an ER doctor in the Triangle, an author, the founder of a non-profit organization – and his proudest titles: husband and father of three.

He’s excited to represent North Carolina next week.

“I grew up in a very small town in rural Nebraska and always looked up to military veterans,” he said. “Just to be a part and represent the military and something this historic is, you know, for me is pretty special.”

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