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McHenry Subsidizes Voter Fraud

Congressional candidate Lance Sigmon of Newton struck back against Congressman Patrick McHenry's latest smear campaign today by publicly highlighting the congressman's involvement in subsidizing voter fraud.

The highly respected Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported on April 16 that Rep. McHenry paid $20,000 for the legal defense of former campaign field director Michael Aaron Lay on voter fraud charges.

The criminal charges stemmed from the 2004 NC Republican primary, during which Lay, then a 23 year-old college student, lived with McHenry in Cherryville and voted in the 10th District even though his legal residence was in Tennessee.

In the article, Roll Call exposed FEC report details showing multiple financial gifts to Lay, the convicted former McHenry political operative.

"McHenry's sweetheart gift of $20,000 to Lay's legal defense fund shows that his respect for the law and the voters is shamelessly lacking," stated Sigmon.

"I find it hard to believe that McHenry's contributors ever intended their money to be spent on the legal defense of Mr. Lay, a person who ended up pleading guilty to voter fraud charges," Sigmon continued, "The right to vote in America is sacred, and by paying for the defense with funds raised through his political machine, McHenry was condoning those illegal votes."

"I think the people of the 10th District are tired of having a representative who is constantly involved in some type of ethical or legal dilemma," said Sigmon. "McHenry's continued questionable activities do not reflect the values expected by the hard-working, honest people he represents, and I believe this is yet another example of why he has become a liability to our district."