Fact Check Roy Cooper’s New Outlandish Ad
Over the last week, former Governor Roy Cooper released a new television ad with bold claims that he denounced defunding the police and that he worked hard to put drug dealers, rapist and murders behind bars. All of these claims are contradicted by Cooper’s record.
Here is a deeper look at the claims in the ad and Cooper’s record:
Cooper’s Claim: “I… said no way we defund the police.”
Reality Check: Roy Cooper marched alongside defund the police activists. Cooper issued statements during the 2020 riots that never said we shouldn’t defund the police.
In 2020, as rioters looted businesses, set fires, and targeted police officers, Roy Cooper went into hiding. He only emerged to march alongside Defund the Police activists in what law enforcement officers described as a political "photo op" that put officers and his own security detail at risk.
Roy Cooper launched the "Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice," in 2020 which among its many radical recommendations sought to “reimagine public safety” including eliminating cash bail.
Cooper’s Claim: “As your attorney general, I put drug dealers, rapists, and murderers in prison and kept them there.”
FALSE. Roy Cooper cut a deal with activist groups to fast-track the release of thousands of convicted felons into North Carolina, including drug dealers, rapists, murderers, and child predators.
Of the criminals Cooper released, nearly half went on to reoffend. Those that went on to reoffend went on to kill 25 North Carolinians, sexually assault 99, and commit more than 600 violent felonies.
Victims' families even place the “complete” blame for their family members murders on to Cooper. Debra Thompson, whose son Elante Thompson was killed by a criminal Roy Cooper released said- “Why would you release somebody like that? They’re already showing they’re a gangster to society. You’re going to release a menace on the street?”
As Attorney General, Roy Cooper failed to protect the victims of sexual assault time and time again leaving more than 15,000 rape kits untested, allowing rapists to walk free because he was too lazy to test them. In fact, the state legislature even had to pass a law to remove the backlog of justice that Roy Cooper created.
As Attorney General, Roy Cooper oversaw the State Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab which saw resulted in hundreds of botched cases, individuals being wrongfully convicted, and criminals going unpunished all because of Cooper’s inept leadership and poor management of the agency.
Cooper’s Claim: “As your governor, I toughened bail laws.”
Reality. As governor, Roy Cooper launched the "Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice," his handpicked group that championed eliminating cash bail, a policy that helped secure the release of Decarlos Brown, and pushed to "reimagine public safety." Cooper touted his soft-on-crime task force as one of his "major accomplishments” and said he would “look forward to implementing your strong recommendations."
Cooper’s Claim: “You deserve to feel safe and there is nothing political about that.”
Reality. As governor, Roy Cooper championed policies at every turn that compromised public safety at the behest of his political allies.
Cooper appeased progressive activists with a settlement that released over 4,000 convicted criminals from prison, under the cover trying to prevent the spread of COVID. These criminals went on to commit heinous crimes and be re-arrested more than the North Carolina average. Including 25 that went on to murder a North Carolinian, 99 sexual predators, and more than 600 that committed a violent felony - including the murder of a 16 month old baby, by a convicted drug dealer.
To appease progressive activists, Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 convicted killers and caved to a dark money, anti-deportation group to block law enforcement from cooperating with ICE.
He has a catastrophic record of appointing soft-on-crime judges, traditionally those appoints are made to political connected lawyers.
Whatley Campaign Spokesman DJ Griffin said, “Roy Cooper’s time in the basement must be getting to him. After releasing dangerous convicted felons from prison early that went on to murder, rape, and assault North Carolinians Roy Cooper is attempting to change the past into a reality that did not exist. Cooper’s own policies have made North Carolina less safe for families, and no amount of political pandering can change his devastating legacy of violence nor the empty seats at the dinner table that Cooper has caused.”
