Bribery trial of NC political donor, GOP chairman pushed to September

A date hasn't been set, but a federal judge targets September for now.

Posted 7:28 p.m. May 31, 2019 — Updated 8:16 p.m. May 31, 2019

Travis Fain

, WRAL statehouse reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — The criminal trial against North Carolina mega-donor Greg Lindberg and state Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes is tentatively slated for September.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn pushed the trial back several months in an order filed Friday in the bribery case. All sides in the case had agreed to a delay, at least partly because of the high volume of information they want to review.

"Failure to grant such a continuance would deny counsel for the defendants the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation," Cogburn wrote in his order.

Key dates in the investigation of North Carolina billionaire political donor

Lindberg, who is far and away North Carolina's largest political donor, Hayes and two Lindberg associates were indicted in March and accused of trying to bribe state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey by funneling campaign donations through the state GOP.

All four men have pleaded not guilty.

The trial calendar could change again. Cogburn's order continued the case to the court's September term, and he said defendants were welcome to propose specific dates.

It's not yet decided whether the four men will be tried together or separately. Those pre-trial motions, and others, are due from defendants in the next two months.

Hayes remains chairman of the Republican Party, although he has stepped back from daily operations. The party has its state convention next weekend and will elect a new chairman.

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