Soft-on-crime North Carolina Democrat Senate candidate Roy Cooper’s campaign responded to a reporter inquiry about his health with a screeching letter from the law firm of far-left election denier Marc Elias, a curious decision raising questions about what — if anything — the 69-year-old may be hiding.
North State Journal, a North Carolina-based news outlet and member of the North Carolina Press Association, posted an article on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with the headline, “NSJ questioned Cooper’s campaign, got cease-and-desist in response.”
The article lays out its purpose for asking about the candidate’s health by citing the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential race, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s prolonged absence from the Senate, and the sudden death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in July.
The outlet says it emailed the campaign various questions eight times this year, with all but two unanswered. Yet when asking about the two-term governor’s health, the outlet received a two-page cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action from the Elias Law Group within several hours.
In part, the letter states, “Governor Cooper intends to complete his entire term, and any suggestion that he is ‘experiencing a neurological issue,’ or that any health condition would prevent him from completing his term, is categorically false and defamatory.”
In a June appearance on Fox News Sunday, the hosts of the popular Ruthless Podcast discussed the North Carolina Senate contest. In a video clip, co-host Comforably Smug says, “Roy Cooper is essentially just hiding from the media, this is a runback of the Biden basement campaign. I’ve been talking to a lot folks on the ground, there’s been health concerns … it’s going to be a liability for him in the fall if he can’t attend debates.”
No debates between Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley have been scheduled.
Republican communications consultant Matt Whitlock commented on the story on X. He said, “Seems notable that Roy Cooper is so sensitive to questions about his health that he has dark money election denier Mark Elias sending cease and desist letters as a response to basic media inquiries.”
North State Journal asked the Whatley campaign the same questions, including after the outlet received the letter from the Elias Law Group. Whatley, who is 11 years younger than Cooper, said he would complete the six-year term and does not have any health issues.
Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.
