North Carolina governor attacks AP story about his business dealings

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has attacked an Associated Press story that stated he received a six-figure stock payout from an online mortgage broker that is regulated by the state.

Craig Jarvis of The (Raleigh) News & Observer writes, “McCrory spent Wednesday denouncing the article, which documented his receipt of early vested restricted stock from Tree.com when he left the company’s board of directors soon after taking office in early 2013. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that McCrory didn’t disclose on state ethics reports the full extent of payments from the company, the Charlotte-based corporate parent of the website LendingTree.

“Paul Colford, director of media relations for The Associated Press, said the wire service stands by its reporting.

“McCrory’s communications staff first swung into action Tuesday evening after the story hit the Internet, issuing a blanket statement calling the report ‘partisan drive-by journalism that deliberately misrepresents the facts.’ That was followed three hours later with what the governor’s office presented as a point-by-point rebuttal.

“To further underline their objections, McCrory’s office released a statement from the governor on Wednesday afternoon taking a more aggressive stance:

“‘The story is misleading, riddled with factual errors and flat out misrepresentations, and is a disservice to the public,’ McCrory said. ‘It was written with malice and the intent to do harm without any factual consideration given.'”

Read more here.