Thomas Wright under attack

 
This morning the News & Observer's Under the Dome observes:

that [Jim] Black wants to cooperate with authorities and his doing so could make others "uncomfortable."

Black is motivated to share what he knows and try to avoid prison time, [Kenneth] Bell [Black's attorney] said. Black faces a maximum of 10 years on the corruption charge.

As I sat in both courtrooms while Black pleaded guilty, his voice growing quieter at every response, my heart was hoping that these events would bring closure to a sad era in State politics but my head was telling me otherwise. The evidence presented barely hinted at the evidence "unpresented" or the permutations of lines that were tripped over, if not stepped over, by various legislators and contributors associated with Black.

Before Jim Black entered his felony pleas I wrote about Thomas Wright a loyal supporter of Black's. One of the bills described in the factual basis of Black's Federal plea was introduced by Wright and would have benefited chiropractors had it actually passed. Wright has his own troubles with the State Board of Elections and Black's Democratic nemesis, Joe Sinsheimer, has set his sights on Wright, now that Jim Black is gone.

Yesterday Sinsheimer delivered a letter to Speaker Joe Hackney's office that asks Hackney:

to ask Rep. Wright to step aside as chair of the Health Committee and his role on the powerful House Appropriations Committee until the State Board completes its investigation of Rep. Wright’s campaign finances.

The basis of the request is Wright's tardy and incomplete filings with the SBOE, his association with the chiropractor bill and Wright's acceptance of contributions from operators of a nursing home with a history of deficiencies and a death attributed to inadequate care.

Read the full text of Sinsheimer's letter to Joe Hackney:
Hackney Wright letter page 1 | Hackney Wright letter page 2

Current news reports at:
WWAY TV | Wilmington Star Online | Mark Binker Blog

 
Update 2/23/07 :

From Wilminton Star Online Friday February 22:

Wright's campaign bank records sought

State Board of Elections officials asked state Rep. Thomas Wright on Thursday for permission to access his campaign's bank records, and he gave it.

Later in the day, the board made a request to Bank of America for copies of statements, canceled checks, deposit slips and any other records of the account of the Committee to Elect Thomas Wright, said Kim Westbrook Strach, a deputy state elections director.