Wake DA addresses probe of 2016 election fraud

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>> NEW DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY

WRAL TONIGHT SHOW POTENTIAL

ELECTION FRAUD DATING BACK

YEARS IN BLADEN COUNTY.

THE 2018 ELECTION IS NOW UNDER

THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT FOR

MISHANDLED ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN

THE NINTH CONGRESSIONAL

DISTRICT, HE JUST SPOKE WITH

THE PERSON.

>> LATE THIS AFTERNOON, THE

STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS

RELEASED ITS 2016 REPORT

DOCUMENTING ABSENTEE PROBLEMS

IN BLADEN COUNTY, IT TOOK MORE

THAN A YEAR, FOR THAT CASE TO

GET TO WAKE COUNTY DISTRICT

ATTORNEY, LAUREN AND THE TIMING

IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE

CONSIDERING THIS YEAR'S

ELECTION MESS, SHE WISHES SHE

HAD GOTTEN IT MUCH SOONER.

>> DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS ON

THE TIMING OF THIS

INVESTIGATION?

>> CERTAINLY.

YOU KNOW, I THINK FROM OUR

STANDPOINT, IN AN IDEAL WORLD,

WE WOULD'VE YOU KNOW, BEEN ABLE

TO COMPLETE THE 2016

ALLEGATIONS, AND WE WOULD NOT

HAVE HAD NEW ALLEGATIONS COME

FORWARD.

>> THIS IS THE JUST-RELEASED

2016 STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS

REPORT, THAT FOUND POLITICAL

OPERATIVE, McRAE DALLAS HIRED

PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY COLLECT

ABSENTEE BALLOTS.

THOSE FINDINGS WERE FORWARDED

TO THE U.S. ATTORNEY IN

DECEMBER 2016.

BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL JANUARY OF

THIS YEAR, THAT THE FINDINGS

GOT TO WAKE DISTRICT ATTORNEY,

LAUREN.

AFTER DA, JOHN DAVID PAST

BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS.

FREEMAN WORKED WITH THE FBI,

FBI, AND STATE ELECTION

INVESTIGATORS.

BUT SAYS THAT WORK WAS SLOWED

BY GOVERNMENT SENSITIVITY, NOT

TO INTERFERE WITH VOTERS AROUND

THE MAY PRIMARY, OR NOVEMBER

ELECTIONS.

THAT IS WHEN MORE REPORTS OF

ABSENTEE IRREGULARITIES

SURFACED.

>> THOSE PEOPLE WHO SAY WHY

DIDN'T YOU STOP IT BEFORE THIS

ELECTION, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO

THEM?

>> I THINK FROM OUR

PERSPECTIVE, WE DID NOT, AT THE

POINT IN TIME, IN REGARDS TO

2016, THAT WAS STILL VERY MUCH

A MATTER UNDER ACTIVE

INVESTIGATION, AND FREEMAN SAYS

THEY SIMPLY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH

FACTS TO REACH THE HIGH BURDEN

OF PROOF IN A CRIMINAL CASE.

WE REACHED OUT TO THE U.S.

ATTORNEY TO ASK ABOUT THE

DELAYS, A SPOKESPERSON WOULD

ONLY SAY THEY CAN NEITHER

CONFIRM NOR DENY AN

INVESTIGATION.

WE ARE STILL GOING THROUGH THE

THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTS FROM THE

STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, ALSO

MY COLLEAGUE, FROM NC CAPITAL,

TRAVIS, IS ABOUT TO POST A