FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, February 24, 2020
CONTACT: Liz Doherty
NEW: Florida-Based Lindberg Employee Told By Managers to Contribute to Dan Forest
RALEIGH — Over the weekend, the ABC11 I-Team further revealed gubernatorial candidate Dan Forest’s ties to indicted businessman Greg Lindberg with a new development: a Florida-based employee of Lindberg’s company, Eli Global, was told by managers to contribute to Dan Forest’s campaign.
The employee also admitted that — prior to his managers’ direction to contribute — he did not know who Dan Forest was, let alone anything about his candidacy.
Lindberg is Forest’s biggest donor. He gave $2 million in contributions to committees that support Forest within the span of three days in December 2017 — at the same time he was trying to buy off Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey:
- Lindberg gave $1 million to Dan Forest’s Truth and Prosperity PAC
- He also gave $1.4 million to another PAC that supports Forest.
- Plus, Lindberg associates shelled out nearly $50,000 to Forest’s campaign committee.
With a little over a week until the primary, and the Lindberg bribery trial well underway, the Lindberg-Forest connection has become a defining issue in the governor’s race. As the story notes, “Dan Forest wants to turn North Carolina red, but opponents are demanding Lt. Gov. Dan Forest answer questions about the green.”
Rep. Holly Grange, Forest’s challenger in the GOP primary, has raised questions about Forest’s relationship with Lindberg and told the News & Observer recently, “I would question what [Lindberg] wanted in return from Dan Forest for all of that money.”