Speaker Moore: Nothing improper happened in prison contracts

by Beau Minnick, WNCN.com, November 20, 2015.

House Speaker Tim Moore said he is confident “nothing improper happened” in contract talks between the McCrory administration and a Charlotte businessman with ties to McCrory.

Moore, who took over as House Speaker after Thom Tillis was elected to the U.S. Senate, spoke to WNCN Friday in a wide-ranging interview that also touched on Syrian refugees and the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors.

In the fall of 2014, Gov. Pat McCrory urged administration officials to meet with Graeme Keith of The Keith Corporation in Charlotte to discuss contracts with the prison system. A memo from the meeting said Keith said he wanted to get something in return for all his years of making political contributions.

Frank Perry, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety, had raised concerns about the contracts, according to documents obtained by WNCN. Perry also told a government oversight committee Wednesday, “It was uncomfortable to hear it [what Keith said]. But there has been no quid pro quo – therefore, no crime.”

But the state extended the contracts in 2014 on the recommendation of State Budget Director Lee Roberts. The contracts are not being extended for 2016.

Moore said of Wednesday’s hearing, “It made me feel very comfortable that nothing improper happened,” Moore said.

“I would agree that they [Keith’s comments] would be distasteful. But there was no quid pro quo, from all accounts.  I think the issue is, well, probably a non-issue at this point.”

Moore downplayed whether the issue could hurt McCrory in the 2016 election.

“I certainly think that the governor’s opponents will try to make hay of the issue.  But the reality is it doesn’t appear there really was an issue there with respect to the governor,” Moore said.

“I think the voters need to make a decision in the election based on what’s been accomplished.  Look at the fact that taxes are lower.  Look at the fact that unemployment now in the state is lower.”

One issue that came up is whether the contracts with The Keith Corporation needed to be reviewed by the Government Oversight Committee. State officials said they did not, since the contracts were an extension and not a new contract.

A provision in this year’s budget would have required extensions to go to that committee, but the Senate pushed to drop the provision.

“I felt like it should simply stay in the budget.  I saw no reason to take it out.  The Senate actually flagged the provision,” Moore said.

“When they told me that the executive branch didn’t want it in there, I didn’t question it.  I didn’t go behind it.  I said that’s fine then.”

On the Board of Governors

Board of Governors member Joe Knott recently made news when he said former chair John Fennebresque had been pressured to hire a certain person for the new system president.

The office of Senate leader Phil Berger declined to comment, saying Moore should respond since Knott was appointed by the House.

On Friday, Moore said, “I don’t know what or whom he is talking about.  But I will say this that the Constitution gives the General Assembly not only the right but the authority to oversee the system of higher education.

“If at any point, we as legislators feel like the Board of Governors is going in a direction that we don’t agree with, I think we have a duty to let them know that. If I ever have a question or a concern about where the Board of Governors is going, I won’t ever hesitate to speak up and express my opinion.”

On the Syrian refugees

Moore said he supported McCrory’s request to the federal government not to allow any more Syrian refugees into North Carolina. McCrory said in a news conference that 59 had come to the state so far.

“We want to be as compassionate as we can to people who are being persecuted.  At the same time, we have to be mindful of significant and serious security risks,” Moore said.

“We don’t need to bring those problems here.  We don’t need, most importantly, to allow someone who intends to commit crime and commit acts of terror in the United States to come here.”

Moore also downplayed any comparisons between the U.S. views toward Syrian refugees and how the country treated Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. Thousands of Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps during the war.

“I don’t think that’s an appropriate comparison at all because that was terrible because you had U.S. citizens who were put in internment camps based upon their heritage.  That is a very different situation than allowing folks who are not citizens of this country to come in on this emergency refugee status.”

“This is not a theory.  This is not just some game.  We’re talking about a real threat to people in America.  We’re talking about a real threat potentially to people in North Carolina and we need to do all we can.”