NCGOP leader praises media for work on Bladen County election story
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — It’s not unusual for the news media to be openly criticized by political leaders and even labeled “fake news.” But at least when it comes to recent reporting on questions about possible election fraud in Bladen County, the leader of the North Carolina Republican Party is handing out compliments.
In fact, NCGOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse, a former TV news reporter himself, wants the media to stay on the story and hold everyone accountable.
Today Woodhouse sent the following open letter to the news media about the coverage of questions about absentee ballots in Bladen County and the work of a political operative named McCrae Dowless, which are holding up the 9th District Congressional race and a couple of Bladen County elections.
To the media covering the 9th U.S. House District election:
I know many of you personally. As a television reporter so many years ago, I covered stories with you. I have broken bread with you. As one of the main spokespersons on Republican issues in North Carolina, I interact with you on a daily basis.
At times I have disagreed with you, or asked for a correction. Our disagreements have always been respectful. You have asked me some tough questions, never more than last week — every one of them fair, questions that should be asked and deserve to be answered.
On behalf of the North Carolina Republican Party, our activists in the 9th Congressional District and the voting electorate, I want to thank you and encourage you to continue these efforts for years to come.
Only you can help end systematic failure to fix this problem going back more than a decade, involving three different North Carolina governors of both parties, several different boards of elections, countless local, state and federal prosecutors and both major political parties.
We all share blame. We can all be part of the solution, but only if you hold us all to account for years to come.
Just to review some of your phenomenal efforts:
You have asked tough questions of who knew what and when, including of me and the NC GOP.
And your work is not done. It can’t be done when the 9th District election is settled. Serious efforts at reform can only succeed when everyone works to fix the systematic failures that allowed the rampant criminal behavior to become common accepted practice.
It will take new laws, new enforcement, trials and convictions, public educations efforts and trial and error. Some of you will move to new cities. Some will retire. All will move to other stories.
But we still need you watching, investigating, reporting. All of us are responsible for fixing this. Question us. Check us. Hold us accountable. All of us.
Your sunlight really is the best disinfectant. And we need tons of it. Now and for years to come.
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