NORTH CAROLINA — A political attack circulating against Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michael Whatley claims he “hired” Harvey West, a convicted sex offender, while leading the North Carolina Republican Party.
The available record does not support that characterization.
West did serve in Republican Party positions during Whatley’s tenure, including an appointment to the NCGOP’s Plan of Organization Committee. But reporting on the matter describes those positions as volunteer party roles, not paid employment.
That distinction is important because “hired” suggests Whatley recruited West as an employee, placed him on a payroll or brought him into Republican politics himself.
The evidence shows something different.
West had already been active in North Carolina Republican politics for years before Whatley became state chairman in 2019. His involvement with the party dates back at least to 2011, and his criminal history had already become a public issue during the 2012 Republican National Convention cycle.
Whatley therefore did not introduce West to the Republican Party.
A previous claim about Whatley was already corrected
Early reporting on the controversy also claimed Whatley appointed West chairman of the Republican Party’s 1st Congressional District.
That claim was later shown to be inaccurate.
PolitiFact reported that West became district chairman after members of the district executive committee elected him following the resignation of the previous chairman. The reporter behind the original account later acknowledged that describing Whatley as having appointed West to that position was incorrect.
That correction matters because it changes the picture considerably.
West’s rise within the district organization was the result of an internal election by Republican activists, not a unilateral decision by Whatley.
Whatley did appoint West to a committee
There is still a legitimate issue for voters to consider.
West said Whatley appointed him to the NCGOP’s Plan of Organization Committee during Whatley’s chairmanship, and the state party did not dispute that account.
But that committee position was a volunteer party role.
Calling that a “hire” blurs the difference between an internal political appointment and paid employment.
There has been no public evidence showing that Whatley placed West on his campaign payroll, gave him a salaried state party job or entered into an employment agreement with him.
The accurate description is narrower: Whatley appointed West to a volunteer party committee.
West’s involvement predates Whatley
The broader timeline also weakens the suggestion that West was somehow a Whatley creation.
West told PolitiFact that he had served on the Plan of Organization Committee repeatedly beginning years before Whatley took control of the state party. Former Republican chairmen had appointed him as well.
By the time Whatley became chairman, West was already an established participant in internal Republican Party politics.
That does not remove responsibility from any party leader who chose to keep him involved. But it does make the claim that Whatley simply “hired” him misleading.
The facts do not need embellishment
West’s criminal history is serious and should not be minimized. He pleaded guilty in 2000 to multiple counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and served prison time.
It is fair to ask why Republican officials continued allowing him to participate in party organizations.
It is also fair to ask Whatley specifically why he approved West for a volunteer committee position.
But those questions are stronger when they are based on what actually happened.
The documented record shows that West was involved with the North Carolina Republican Party long before Whatley became chairman, that West was elected to at least one major party position rather than appointed by Whatley, and that the role Whatley did appoint him to was a volunteer committee position.
That is substantially different from the political shorthand now being circulated that “Michael Whatley hired Harvey West.”
Voters can decide whether Whatley exercised good judgment.
They should at least be given an accurate account of what he actually did.