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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper among Kamala Harris' possible VP picks: A look at his 16 years as AG

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper among Kamala Harris' possible VP picks: A look at his 16 years as AG

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is being considered as a top contender for Kamala Harris’ vice president on the 2024 Democratic ticket.

Originally from Nash County, Cooper, 67, practiced law for 18 years and then served in the state legislature before serving four terms as attorney general between 2001 and 2017.

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“Democrats are likely to see Roy Cooper as a good match for Kamala Harris for multiple reasons. First and foremost, Cooper helps bring North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes into play in a way other candidates do not,” John Locke Foundation senior political analyst Mitch Kokai told Fox News Digital. “He has won six statewide elections since 2000. That’s an impressive accomplishment for a Democrat in a state that has trended right during the same time period.”

By contrast, Kokai said, Democrats have only won a single U.S. Senate contest over the same period in North Carolina. 

WHO IS ROY COOPER? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR AND POSSIBLE VP PICK

Originally from Nash County, Cooper, 67, practiced law for 18 years and then served in the state legislature before serving four terms as attorney general between 2001 and 2017. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

“Cooper has been the Democrats’ brightest star in North Carolina in recent years, and so-called ‘Cooper-Trump’ voters helped him win his races for governor at the same time the Republican nominee won in this state during the last two presidential races,” he explained. “Cooper offers a clear demographic contrast to Harris, and he also presents a calm, sober, constrained personality that might help counter some of the criticism Harris has faced about her interactions with interviewers and the public.”

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Despite his 16 years as attorney general – winning four AG elections back-to-back – “few people are likely to remember any significant accomplishment that could be attributable directly to Cooper’s work,” Kokai said. 

In perhaps his biggest moment as attorney general, Cooper made headlines across the nation when he declared three Duke University lacrosse players innocent in 2007 after an exotic dancer they had hired for a party in 2006 accused them of rape.

“We believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges,” Cooper famously said at the time.

HARRIS SNUBS ONE OF THE FEW DEMS OPEN TO BEING HER VP: REPORT

Roy Cooper speaking

Gov. Roy Cooper makes remarks to the crowd before President Biden during a visit to Wolfspeed, a semiconductor manufacturer, on March 28, 2023, in Durham, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

During his final years as attorney general, Cooper challenged HB 2, a law requiring people to use bathrooms corresponding with their sex at birth, that he called unconstitutional. When he became governor, he repealed the law.

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“For over a year now, House Bill 2 has been a dark cloud over our great state. It has stained our reputation. It has discriminated against our people. And it has caused great economic harm to many of our communities,” he said at the time. “Today, we repealed House Bill 2. We begin to end discrimination. We begin to bring back jobs and sporting events. And we begin to repair our reputation. It is an important step, but it cannot be the only step.”

He also supported legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in the state, which has been legal since 2014, in his capacity as AG.

Cooper’s website touts a 30% decrease in crime during his tenure as AG. 

IS NEWSOM OUT OF THE RUNNING IN HARRIS’ VP SEARCH? A LOOK AT THE 12TH AMENDMENT

Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, left, and Kristin Cooper, right, arrive to attend a state dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Cooper’s website touts a 30% decrease in crime during his tenure as AG. (Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg)

“He cracked down on child predators, worked to increase penalties for drug dealers, and oversaw a sharp (30%) decrease in crime,” his site states. “Roy also prioritized consumer protection, and fought to keep utility rates low, putting predatory lenders out of business and cracking down on telemarketers.”

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North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI) Crime Reporting data shows total statewide offenses decreased more than 24% between 2001, the year he was sworn into the AG’s office, and 2017, the year he became governor. 

However, the murder, aggravated assault, rape, and motor-vehicle theft rates per 100 people increased between 2013 and 2022, more recent SBI statistics show, most of which spiked during the 2020-2021 period. North Carolina saw one of its most drastic upticks in homicides between 2020 and 2021, as did many other states and cities. While overall crime has decreased recently, it is still higher than before 2020.

“I cannot say whether the crime rate is 30% lower now than when Roy Cooper became attorney general 24 years ago. If so, that’s much more likely due to factors affecting the nation as a whole than to anything special Cooper did while leading the North Carolina Department of Justice,” Kokai said.

JOSH SHAPIRO EMERGES AS POTENTIAL KAMALA HARRIS VP: A LOOK AT HIS RECORD AS PA’S TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL

Roy Cooper greets Tar Heels fans at a basketball game

Cooper was effective in staying out of the spotlight during his time in the AG’s office, the senior political analyst said. (Grant Halverson)

Cooper was effective in staying out of the spotlight during his time in the AG’s office, the senior political analyst said. 

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“His tenure was so unremarkable that Republicans didn’t bother to field a candidate against him during one of his re-election bids,” he said. “In that respect, his record, style, and accomplishments would be unlikely to overshadow Kamala Harris. Plus, he might help her swing 16 electoral votes that have gone to Republicans in every election since 2012. That might be exactly what the presumptive Democratic nominee is seeking in a running mate.”

Cooper also worked in his authority as AG to combat opioid addiction across the state and hold companies accountable for promoting drugs that lead to addiction.

In his capacity as governor, Cooper did initiate COVID-19 lockdowns, temporarily shuttering certain restaurants and businesses, and passed strict masking mandates. In April, an appeals court ruled that the governor overstepped when he allowed restaurants to reopen a few months after COVID-19 came to the United States while forcing standalone bars to remain closed. The court described Cooper’s orders as “illogical” in the decision, according to The Associated Press.

DEM WHO CRITICIZED VP HARRIS’ HANDLING OF SOUTHERN BORDER ENDORSES HER FOR PRESIDENT

US Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by Roy Cooper

In his capacity as governor, Cooper did initiate COVID-19 lockdowns, temporarily shuttering certain restaurants and businesses, and passed strict masking mandates. (Grant Baldwin/Bloomberg)

“He offered an annual update on crime statistics, and he occasionally promoted efforts to fight scams targeting seniors or other vulnerable groups. But it would surprise me if one in 100 people stopped on a North Carolina street could name anything special Cooper did as attorney general,” Kokai said. “To some extent, that’s good news for Cooper because his tenure did involve some clear problems. The Crime Lab at the State Bureau of Investigation faced a serious scandal that led to a number of prosecutions being thrown out.”

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Kokai noted that North Carolina developed “a noticeable backlog of untested rape kits” under Cooper’s time as AG. His Democratic successor, Josh Stein, “made a big deal out of clearing the backlog, never emphasizing the degree to which the problem stemmed from operations during Cooper’s tenure,” the senior political analyst explained.

Republican North Carolina state Sen. Warren Daniel also weighed in on Cooper’s potential nomination as Harris’ VP, stating simply: “I would love to have Mark Robinson as acting Governor of North Carolina while Roy Cooper is out traveling the country in support of a losing presidential ticket.”

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Southeast

Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

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Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

George Washington University law professor Jonthan Turley said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was “wrong” to bring the Georgia election interference case against President-elect Trump after a Georgia court disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting the case on Thursday.

GEORGIA APPEAL COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

JONATHAN TURLEY: The immediate impact of this decision is overwhelming in terms of Willis herself. I mean, this court is basically saying that these cases are not supposed to be sort of vanity projects. You know, you were told by the lower court that you created this appearance of impropriety and the question for the court is why you didn’t remove yourself. Many of us at the time said that most prosecutors would have seen that their continuation of the case was harming the case and harming the public interest. Willis simply refused to give up the ghost and insisted that she wanted to be the lead in this. 

She was wrong to bring the case against Trump. You know, there are some viable claims here. You know, she charged some people with unlawful entry or access to restricted areas. Those are not particularly serious crimes, but they are crimes. She was wrong to go after Trump on this basis. She clearly wanted to engage in lawfare, and that’s one of the reasons why she wouldn’t give up the case. You know, when this issue was first raised, many of us wrote at the time that the correct move was to remove yourself. You selected a former lover as the lead counsel. That violated, in my view, core ethical requirements. He was ultimately disqualified by the court. But Judge McAfee gave her a chance to do the right thing. He said, look, this is your conduct is wrong here and you can remove yourself. Well, he was talking to the wrong person. She had no interest in removing herself. I mean, lawfare is only valuable if you’re the lead warrior, and she was not going to give up that position. 

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Fani Willis — the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia — previously said the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

The court did not toss Trump’s indictment entirely, but Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office now have “no authority to proceed.”

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he said, “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.” 

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Trump said the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

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Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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Southeast

Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein told MSNBC on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s reputation was “damaged” after a court disqualified her and her office from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in the election interference case against him.

“Her reputation is damaged, right? This was an unforced error as we said earlier, and, you know, this was all of her own doing, and now it unravels or might unravel one of the signature cases, not just of her career, but in Georgia. It leaves her damaged and it will be interesting to see what case she tries to make when she is expected to appeal this to the Georgia Supreme Court,” Bluestein told MSNBC’s Ana Caberra when asked about what was next for Willis.

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump and co-defendants in her election interference case. The court did not toss the indictment but declared that Willis and her team now have “no authority to proceed.” 

Bluestein noted that Willis had just won re-election in Georgia and that it wasn’t a surprise because Fulton County is a Democratic stronghold.

Reporter tells MSNBC Fani Willis’ reputation is damaged after she was disqualified from prosecuting the case against Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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 FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

Bluestein said, “It is expected to be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, but this is a really decisive order against Fani Willis being able to continue this case.”

Willis, who was spearheading the sweeping prosection case against Trump, came under fire after she was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecute the case.

Wade was ultimately forced to step down from the prosecution team.

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty) (Alyssa Pointer)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

Trump additionally said that the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

Catherine Christian, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, also weighed in on the disqualification on MSNBC.

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“But usually appellate courts defer to the lower court, the trial judge, who fashioned a remedy. He said Nathan Wade, the man she was having an affair with, had to leave so the office could stay, and this court has said, nope. This court said that Judge MacAfee did not really appreciate that her decision-making wasn’t just the indictment. It was who to charge, how to charge it, and that’s at the time when this alleged romantic relationship was going on, and they said that also was one of the reasons why they think it’s more than an appearance of impropriety. It’s a conflict of interest, and not just her, the entire office is disqualified,” Christian said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fani Willis’ office for comment.

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

A Navy aviator was in for a surprise after returning home ahead of Christmas from his third deployment in three years.

Patrick Brennan of western Kentucky has been stationed in Japan since the spring of 2022, serving as a weapon systems officer in an F/A-18 fighter aircraft.

His wife, Cecilia Brennan, told Fox News Digital that her husband often shares with her how he misses his friends and hobbies, specifically hunting.

FLORIDA ARTIST’S PATRIOTIC ANDY WARHOL PIECE FEATURED AT POPULAR EVENT DRAWING THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

Brennan said her husband even mentioned planning a hunting trip sometime next year or in 2026 but that he never expected to take one this year.

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Patrick Brennan was surprised with a hunting trip with his friends after returning home from being stationed in Japan. (Cecilia Brennan)

“I was catching up with his best friends and keeping them in the loop. They told me they were going on their yearly duck hunting trip to Fowl Plains Outfitter. They were thinking about driving from their home in Virginia to Kansas, and I asked if they would want to stop by in Kentucky,” Brennan said.

Fowl Plains Outfitters is located in Great Bend, Kansas, offering duck and goose hunts.

“Turns out, the same time they would be driving through Kentucky happened to be the same time my husband would be back from deployment. I asked if they could make room for one more. It was God’s perfect timing,” Brennan said.

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She packed all of his clothes and hunting gear and “gifted” his belongings to him for Christmas.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

Cecilia Brennan told her husband his friends were just stopping by before surprising him with a hunting trip. (Cecilia Brennan)

In a video posted to her Instagram, which reached 1.5 million views, Brennan captured the moment she tricked Patrick and told him his friends were stopping at their home to “drop something off.”

The serviceman’s friends are seen entering the house decked out in their hunting gear.

After catching up with the men, Cecilia Brennan takes out her husband’s suitcase to reveal that he is also going on the trip.

“Having his best friends knock on the door was a surprise enough, but to actually be going with him, he was in shock. I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” she said.

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Patrick embarked on a five-day trip with his best friends for duck hunting.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

‘After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,’ said Cecilia. (Cecilia Brennan)

Cecilia and Patrick Brennan have a 6-month-old daughter, and Cecila said that for the majority of the year, she and her husband had been apart due to his service to America.

“After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,” she said.

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She added that she is her husband’s biggest fan, and that includes supporting his hobbies.

“Nothing brings me more joy than knowing he’s happy. And now, we will be having duck for Christmas.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Fowl Plains Outfitters for comment.

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