Ethics fairy visits Jason Saine, files complaints with state and fed investigators
The chubby little toad from Lincoln County has been mired in just about everything unseemly that has oozed through the Jones Street Puzzle Palace in recent years. The gambling industry had him as a finalist for “policymaker of the year.” He was a leader in the fight to make sports betting a legal reality in North Carolina. He appeared to be living off of his campaign account which, of course, had been well-stocked by, among some others, lobbyists and others with interests before the General Assembly. Hotel rooms. Meals. Plane Tickets. Vegas Trips. Clothes (more than $19K worth).
Jason Saine has appeared to have little regard for his constituents in Lincoln County. Yet, they kept mindlessly reelecting him. Unfortunately for ol’ Jason, all that fun he’s been having in Raleigh may be coming back to bite him in his bloated butt:
A new complaint alleges that a politically connected group improperly used its nonprofit tax status to bankroll a prominent North Carolina House lawmaker.
The petition against Greater Carolina Inc., Republican state Rep. Jason Saine and other GOP operatives was filed Thursday with the charitable solicitation division of the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office
A copy of the complaint obtained by WRAL alleges that Greater Carolina has been used to evade the state’s ban on gifts to public officials. It alleges that the organization provides a cover for “covert and unreported lobbying” at luxury events that have benefited lawmakers, and that it raised and spent $1.5 million with no record of how or why it was spent. The copy WRAL obtained didn’t name the person or group behind the complaint.
“Expenditures have been made by Greater Carolina to continue Rep. Saine’s exorbitant spending habits,” the complaint said. “Petitioner further believes that Saine has also utilized the resources of Greater Carolina not merely for his own benefit but for the benefit of those lobbyists and legislators, as well as legislative staffers, whose interests he has chosen to advance.”
Those activities aren’t allowed because of the group’s tax status, the complaint said.
Saine, R-Lincoln, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the allegations. He announced last month that he would step down to “pursue several unique professional opportunities that have presented themselves.” His resignation takes effect on Monday.
Joseph Burleson, who was listed as Greater Carolina’s chairman on the group’s most recently available tax documents, also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Contrary to the allegations made in this unsigned complaint, Greater Carolina Inc. has and will continue to operate in accordance with all laws and rules that govern these types of organizations,” Jonathan Felts, a spokesperson for Greater Carolina, said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the secretary of state confirmed that the office received the complaint and is reviewing it. She declined to make the petition immediately available to WRAL. Government agencies often shield such complaints from the public until a review is complete.
WRAL obtained a copy of the complaint from a person involved with the petition. The person’s identity is known to WRAL, but they spoke on the condition of anonymity and declined to name the petitioner. The person said the document was also filed with the Internal Revenue Service and state Ethics Commission.
The petitioner wants the Secretary of State’s office to investigate Greater Carolina and force it to disclose details about its contributions and spending, according to the complaint. It also wants the state Ethics Commission and the IRS to investigate whether the group violated lobbying and tax laws.
Greater Carolina is organized as a 501c4 social welfare organization. Under federal tax law, such nonprofit organizations must have as their primary objective the promotion of civic good.
Social welfare groups can lobby for legislation, but they can’t intervene in political campaigns, and political activities cannot be their primary purpose. They can raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals as well as corporations and don’t have to disclose their donors.
On its 2022 tax return, Greater Carolina said its mission is “to ensure North Carolina embraces the policies necessary to maintain and support our status as one of the best states in the nation for business and free enterprise.”
The complaint alleges that Greater Carolina’s actual purpose was to act as a passthrough for unlimited contributions from alcohol and gambling interests to a powerful lawmaker who helped those interests achieve their legislative goals while circumventing campaign finance laws and ethics rules.
Politicians are limited in how much money their campaigns can take, and from who. So-called dark money groups like Greater Carolina face no such restrictions.
“Greater Carolina has barely given a nod to matters in the public interest and has instead existed to serve and benefit its founders, a select set of legislations, and a generous set of lobbyists and their lobbyist principals seeking access to those legislators,” the complaint said.
During his 13-year tenure, Saine rose to become one of the most powerful members of state House leadership, serving as one of its primary budget-writers. He has also advocated for loosening the state’s alcoholic beverage control laws and legalizing sports betting and other forms of gambling.
Greater Carolina paid for a 2023 survey of the potential market for an expansion of casino gambling in North Carolina. Its findings were largely reflected in a 2023 proposal to legalize several more casinos.
The proposal was backed by Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, as well as Saine, but after a lengthy stalemate, it failed to advance. House Speaker Tim Moore said it did not have the support of a majority of the House Republican caucus. That’s despite substantial campaign contributions to several House leaders by individuals connected to the casino industry.
Saine and Greater Carolina made headlines most recently for a May junket for lawmakers and lobbyists on the Bourbon Trail in Louisville, Kentucky. An employee at one of the distilleries they visited later posted on social media that the group was drunk and disruptive when they arrived on their tour bus.
Saine didn’t deny he was present at the event at the time, but he said the unidentified worker’s account of it was a gross exaggeration.
The complaint filed Thursday mentioned the Kentucky event and alleged that it was funded by Diageo, a major multinational alcoholic beverage company. Diageo has at least two registered lobbyists in North Carolina, Secretary of State records show.
Hmmm! Maybe this is why Jason inSaine resigned? He must have found out this was coming. Hopefully, as this is investigated, it will also bring down other special interest prostitutes among the “leadership” who turn tricks for the special interests like Phil sleaze-Berger and Destin Hall. Our blinkered “leadership” serves the special interests, NOT the Republican voters. Conservatived need a fruit basket turnover of the “leadership” in both House and Senate. They have lost their way and have nothing but distain for the grassroots.
My sources tell me he is one of many in the NCGA who are at trouble over this. Follow the money and find the corruption. Then again, little Timmy Moore bangs another man’s wife and he is in Congress so go figure.
Hey. Watch it. No one is better suited to join the DC Swamp rats than Tim Moore.
I am registered independent. I am so disgusted at so many levels. If I could vote on one issue it would be to abolish corruption. I believe, if corruption was abolished and sexual perversion was seen for what it is, life would be better for all Americans.
The Republican legislature is looking more and more sleazy by the day. This latest revelation really stinks.
Not forgetting Keith Kidwell, either. He slipped $35M into the state budget, to bribe Dare County with the $35M to build affordable housing. The bill also blocked each towns zoning laws, resulting in each town filing lawsuits against NC and included was that the $35M had to be awarded to Coastal Affordable Housing, which was formed shortly before the budget was passed. Coastal Affordable Housing had never built anything. In the end, Dare County returned the bribe money to the state and the lawsuits were dropped. All the while, Keith Kidwell, representing Dare County as a Republican conservative has remained silent.
That stunk, but it was slipped into the SENATE version of the budget at a time that Kidwell was at war with Phil sleaze-Berger over casinos and not a time when sleaze-Berger was likely to be doing any favors for Kidwell. One of sleaze-Berger’s senior staff is head of “YIMBY – Yes, In My Back Yard” an organization that promotes putting public housing in nice neighborhoods. If I had to guess, I would put him high on the suspect list for that budget item.
It goes to the national top.
Anyone hear Trump state what HE will do about:
CRIME
Border
Immigration
Interest Rates
Inflation
Economy
Fuel
Anyone? Other than trashing any-every one whether male or female, democrat or republican, can he tell us WHAT HE PLANS TO DO? Can he discuss issues???????
Trump has a record to run on jwmson. America was much safer. World was much safer. What has the dim ticket done to improve your list? Certainly not crime or the border, interest rates hikes, inflation and fuel increases came with the present administration. It’s laughable you put immigration in there, are u referring to legal or illegal?
You didn’t answer jwmson’s question.
Right Reaganite, I believe different, after following the issue pretty closely your theory was debunked. You are Kidwell’s Superman, always flying in to defend him.
Your theory of how that got in the budget makes absolutely no sense.
Kidwell’s involvement was to ask Bill Drafting for a draft when asked by some constituents and to circulate it with other area legislators. Other legislators were not so hot on it, so it was not put in the House version of the budget. When the issue became a hot potato, one of those other legislators released the Kidwell draft, to make sure he was not blamed himself.
It was placed in the SENATE version of the budget, not the House version. At the time that happened, Kidwell was one of the ringleaders in fighting Phil Berger’s casino travesty, and there was extreme bad blood between the two. Berger might have put that in the budget to hurt Kidwell, but I doubt he would have thought that out. He certainly would never have done it as a favor to Kidwell. It was someone close to Berger that put that language put into the Senate version of the budget. I think it is safe to rule out Senator Norm Sanderson who represents Dare County because there was a huge controversy boiling over at the same time in his home county of Pamlico over public housing and a GOP commissioner who sold out to the Democrats on it.
It was someone who had Berger’s ear that got that provision slipped in the Senate version of the budget. Berger’s staff member who heads an organization pushing this very thing is the most logical suspect.
This is quoted from the Outer Banks Voice, June 8th 2024. Written by Mark Jurkowitz.
“From the outset, Dare County officials insisted they had no knowledge of and no role in inserting that provision. State Representative Keith Kidwell (whose district covers part of Dare County) was subsequently identified as involved in inserting that provision.”
Evidently that was old news.
. Keith Kidwell was supposedly on vaca when the news first broke and could not comment. That was long ago and still on word from Keith Kidwell. No admittance or denial. Just you Superman. If he is truly innocent, why has it been ? ??. I say not a good look for the Kid.
But the big bomb was Oct 11, 2023.
NPR reported, “”a draft version of the budget provision obtained by WUNC list Keith Kidwell,R-Beaufort, as its sponsor.. He represents part of Dare County and didn’t respond to an inquiry about his role in this process.”
It goes on to say Kidwell has declined several Voice requests to comment.
This article was on the Outer Banks Voice October 11,2023..Written by Mark Jurkowitz.
Please Reaganite, familiarize yourself with the cited articles and please respond.
The idea that Phil slease-Berger was about to do ANY favors for Kidwell at a time he was royally pissed at Kidwell over Kidwell being a ringleader of the strenuous opposition by House conservatives to sleaze-Berger’s casino wet dream is ludicrous. This provision was inserted in the SENATE, not the House. You have to look at someone with pull with sleaze-Berger to find your culprit.
Your local rag seems totally clueless about things going on in Raleigh, even worse than WRAL.
Reaganite I actually never had a theory.. Just following the issue closely, your August 12 post had a super amount of detail of how it went down, like insider info . Who are you, Superman ?
Reaganite, I reread your aug 12 post several times and slept on it. In your post you are admitting, it was Keith Kidwell, conservative Republican, representing part of Dare County, who was responsible for the bill draft after being asked by “some constituents”. Were the constituents, Jordan Hennessy and others involved in Coastal Affordable Housing? That’s where the stink starts. The $35M and strict conditions, were intended as a bribe to Dare County Commissioners, after many months, they finally did the right thing and returned to $35M to the state. Again, why has Keith Kidwell been extremely silent, when this issue was causing so much tension in Dare County. It is my opinion that Kidwell, crossed the line in even entertaining the idea of the bribe to enrich some pals, he was responsible for the bill draft, the corrupt intentions fall in his lap. You can be very nasty, with your comments, continuous name calling, “wet dreams” comment and calling the Outer Banks Voice, the”local rag”.