GOP candidate says he made decision to hire ballot operative

Source: Associated Press


20 minutes ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The GOP candidate in a disputed North Carolina congressional race said in an interview aired Friday that it was his decision to hire an operative who is now a person of interest in an investigation into how absentee ballots were handled.

Republican Mark Harris confirmed in an interview with WBTV in Charlotte that he hired McCrae Dowless for his campaign, but added he had no idea Dowless was doing anything wrong.

“He was being vouched for by a number of leaders down there,” Harris said. “I had no reason to think that what he was doing was illegal.”

Harris said Dowless was referred to him by a judge after a 9th District primary in 2016 when Harris finished third to a candidate who had used Dowless to help his own campaign. He said the judge told him if he chose to run again, the two would be introduced.

Read more: https://apnews.com/d78f6a9cb93f47be80a0c11f89686118