RALEIGH—Chairman Linda Daves, North Carolina Republican Party, made the following statement in regards to the expulsion of Thomas Wright from the legislature:

“While I am glad to see that the General Assembly has taken appropriate action in this matter, I am sad that it has come to this.  Today, for the first time in 128 years, the state legislature was forced to expel one of its own members.  This is a scene that was previously thought impossible in our state.  However as more and more corruption is uncovered in state government, each new episode becomes emblematic of a widespread culture of corruption that has been allowed to fester in our state’s capital.  I am optimistic that this latest scandal will finally motivate the Democrat leadership to work with Republicans to pass real, meaningful ethics reform in this year’s session of the General Assembly.  I fear though that as long as entrenched Democrat incumbents continue to rule Raleigh with an iron fist, the culture of corruption will remain there as well.”

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