In N.C., conservative donor Art Pope sits at heart of government he helped transform

[mahatmakanejeeves]

In N.C., conservative donor Art Pope sits at heart of government he helped transform



Art Pope spent a quarter-century helping turn North Carolina red. Now he’s the state’s budget director. (Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post)

By Matea Gold July 19

....
There is no one in North Carolina, or likely in all of American politics, quite like Art Pope. He is not just a wealthy donor seeking to influence politics from the outside, nor just a government official shaping it from within. He is doing both at the same time — the culmination of a quarter-century spent building a sphere of influence that has put him at the epicenter of North Carolina government and moved his state closer to the conservative vision he has long imagined.
....

From the outside, Pope’s family foundation has put more than $55 million into a robust network of conservative think tanks and advocacy groups, building a state version of what his friends Charles and David Koch have helped create on a national level.
....

Pope, 58, oversees the action from his fifth-floor corner office overlooking the colonnaded State Legislative Building. He serves as a top adviser to {Republican Gov. Pat McCrory} with some familiar faces; at least four of the governor’s staffers worked at Pope-backed groups, including the chief of staff, Thomas Stith, and the policy director, Chloe Gossage.

[Triana]

1. This should be unconstitutional. It should be illegal. n/t

[barbtries]

2. it's corrupt as hell

and if there isn't a law against it there should be.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. Sickening.

[nclib]

4. Yep, Art Pope has

bought himself a state.