Earlier this year, bodycam footage was released, allegedly showing NC-01 Republican candidate Laurie Buckhout attempting to intimidate law enforcement by invoking her Pentagon connections after being arrested for drunk driving. Back in March, Buckhout won the Republican primary in NC-01, setting up a rematch of her 2024 race against incumbent Democratic Congressman Don Davis in the northeastern congressional district.
Since her win, Buckhout has faced renewed scrutiny over her past associations and campaign controversies, with many questions surrounding her connection to former NCGOP Chair and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who appointed convicted sex offender Harvey West to a position of power in the Republican Party.
According to several reports, Whatley has been friends with Buckhout for years. Facebook posts revealed that Whatley spoke at a fundraiser hosted at Laurie Buckhout’s house just a couple of weeks ago. Whatley has also campaigned with her numerous times, including as recently as this past May, according to the Albermale Observer.
A report from Asheville Watchdog found that Buckhout has also attended fundraising events hosted by Harvey West Jr., joining other prominent Republicans, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, Associate Justices Trey Allen and Philip Berger Jr., and state Supreme Court candidate Sarah Stevens.
West is a convicted sex offender who has connections to Republican leaders and candidates across the state. West was arrested in 1991 and charged with statutory rape and other sex offenses involving three girls, some as young as 14 years old. He later pleaded guilty to multiple counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and served six years in prison before being placed on the state’s sex offender registry.
Despite his troubling history, West went on to become an influential figure in North Carolina Republican politics.
In November 2023, Buckhout attended a candidate forum hosted by West. According to MediasNews, Buckhout publicly praised West and described him as generous in a social media post that was later deleted.
Whatley has also praised Buckhout, particularly during her campaign for Congress. Earlier this year in Rocky Mount, Whatley said Buckhout is “going to do an absolutely fantastic job representing us in Congress.” During her campaign in 2024, Whatley repeatedly praised Buckhout for running a “fantastic campaign.”
According to reporting from NC Newsline, Whatley’s own record of “avoid[ing] facing the law” includes two separate orders issued for his arrest after driving dangerously and repeatedly failing to appear in court. He even failed to appear as recently as 2023.
