Months after it was reported that Michael Whatley appointed a convicted sex offender to a leadership role within the North Carolina Republican Party while he served as its state chair, the Republican nominee for the US Senate is under scrutiny after he appeared at an event featuring another convicted sex offender.
At an Aug. 28 event in New Bern hosted by the Craven County Republican Party, Pastor Daimon L. King, who has served as a precinct chair in Craven County, gave the opening prayer.
In addition to Whatley, Laurie Buckhout, the GOP nominee in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the Trump administration, were in attendance.
In 1998, King, then 31, was convicted of indecent liberties with a 15-year old child when he worked at a Raleigh high school. He served nearly five years in prison.
In 2010, he pleaded guilty to having sex with an underage relative and served close to three years in prison for that crime.
King, who is the pastor of New Beginnings Celebration Church in New Bern, endorsed both Whatley and Buckhout in a post on the church’s Facebook page the day after the event. The Facebook page was no longer available as of Sept. 15, but a screenshot of the post is available below:
“We fully support and are behind our US candidates, Col. Buckhout and Mr. Whatley,” the post, authored by King, read.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Whatley’s campaign denied having any involvement with the planning of the event and King’s involvement in it.
“[The event] was NOT planned nor organized by the Whatley campaign nor did the campaign invite any of the guests,” campaign spokesperson DJ Griffin said.
Cardinal & Pine reached out to Buckhout’s campaign about the endorsement from King and his presence at the event, but have not heard back at the time of publishing.
