NC’s GOP House Speaker Falsely Claims DOJ Told North Carolina to ‘Repeal’ HB2 ‘Before Monday’

Rep. Tim Moore Lied About What the Dept. Of Justice Is Demanding on HB2

Even before HB2 was drafted, passed, and signed into law in under 12 hours now nearly two months ago, top North Carolina Republican leaders were lying about what Charlotte’s nondiscrimination law did and did not do. 

During the passage of HB2, GOP lawmakers tried to frame it as a necessary “commerce” bill, to make it easier for corporations to operate throughout the state – another lie.

As protests and blowback to HB2 grew and grew, surprising GOP leadership including Gov. Pat McCrory (stunning, given that Indiana went through a similar battle exactly one year prior), talking points were quickly sent out to top Republicans, and were even formatted into a stunningly false and misleading press release published by Gov. McCrory, and repeated by Senate Leader Phil Berger, and the man credited with “authoring” the bill (we now know the credit belongs to an anti-gay hate group), Rep. Dan Bishop.

Bishop repeated those lies in a disastrous example of journalism malpractice with NBC News’ Chuck Todd, where Bishop lied and Todd let him, over and over.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Dept. of Justice officially notified the State of North Carolina, in a letter to Gov. McCrory, that HB2 is illegal. The DOJ, in its three-page letter explaining why HB2 is illegal, demanded Gov. McCrory respond by Monday at 6:00 PM EDT, stating if he will cease enforcing HB2.

The DOJ noted that if the governor missed the deadline, it could withhold hundreds of millions, and possibly billions of dollars in federal funding. 

Enter North Carolina’s grandstanding Speaker of the House, GOP Rep. Tim Moore. Thursday afternoon, Moore held a press conference blaming President Obama, and, spectacularly, stating North Carolina had no intention of meeting the DOJ deadline.

“We will take no action by Monday,” Moore told reporters Thursday, as reported by Colin Campbell of the News & Observer. “That deadline will come and go. We don’t ever want to lose any money, but we’re not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday’s date. That’s not how this works.”

“If you take the way the letter is written by the Obama Justice Dept., they’re asking us to repeal a duly-enacted law before Monday.”

That’s a lie.

“Please advise the Department,” the Justice Department letter states, “no later than the close of business on May 9, 2016, whether you will remedy these violations of Title VII, including by confirming that the State will not comply with or implement H.B. 2, and that it has notified employees of the State and public agencies that. consistent with federal law, they are permitted to access bathrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity.”

What that says is, tell us if you will continue to enforce HB2 or not, and what you will do to fix the Title VII violations. 

What that also says is, please tell us whether or not you intend to.

What that does not say is, “repeal HB2 before Monday.”

Moore is lying through his teeth.

In fact, Moore has absolutely nothing to do with the DOJ letter.

It is addressed to Gov. McCrory, and as the chief executive he has the ability to enforce – or not – HB2, or parts of HB2. This is not a legislative matter at all.

In another press conference today, Moore continued his obfuscation and spotlight preening.

“The legislative process doesn’t work where a response can be given by just a few days,” Moore told reporters. Again, this is not a legislative issue.

He then went on to claim that he doesn’t “believe” Governor McCrory “would have the authority to respond, because it’s a law.”

Balderdash. The letter is addressed to the Governor and he has not only the authority but the legal duty to respond.

“What the Obama administration has asked is that we essentially ignore our law or repeal our law, so I don’t think the executive branch can choose to not enforce that law.”

Actually, the executive branch can. It’s done all the time. There are still a dozen states with unconstitutional sodomy laws on the books – including North Carolina. They are not being enforced. There are literally dozens of state laws on the books across the country that are not being enforced. Gov. McCrory has the ability to not enforce HB2. And he certainly has the authority to respond to the DOJ.

The real question is, why does Tim Moore think this is any of his business?

 

EARLIER:

9 Cold Hard Facts: HB2 Was Never About ‘Public Safety’

WATCH: Pat McCrory Says HB2 Didn’t Cause Backlash – ‘This Was Started by the Left’

Top North Carolina Republicans Are Going Ballistic Over Justice Dept. Announcement HB2 Is Illegal

 

Image: Screenshot via Charlotte Observer