On Dec. 7, North Carolina’s governor-elect Roy Cooper appointed Ken Eudy, an outspoken anti-military advocate and an insider who has been accused of participating in pay-to-play politics, to the position of senior advisor.
In an article published on North Carolina’s public education site, Eudy described NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest as “refreshing” and added that American society views military members “too highly.” In the editorial, Eudy also noted that, much like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling, he stays in his seat whenever fans offer applause or standing ovations for men and women in the armed services.
However, there is a difference between Kaepernick and Eudy: the NFL player says he respects the troops, but protests the country; Eudy specifically targets the military members with his protest — which could cause concern among North Carolina’s nearly one million active-duty and retired military personnel.
“I sit simply because I think it odd that, of all the categories of Americans that we honor, we honor warriors,” declared Eudy in the article.
Promoting the Black Lives Matter narrative, Eudy also wrote that the message of freedom and equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the duty of police officers to serve and protect are “fiction” when it comes to “black and brown children.”
“In this country, there are demonstrable differences in the rate at which people of color are incarcerated, unemployed and even shot by their law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect citizens,” wrote Eudy.
In a press release signed and endorsed by 10 North Carolina state representatives, who also happen to be retired or active-duty military members, State Representative Holly Grange stated, “it is very concerning that Governor-elect Cooper’s pick for senior adviser, Ken Eudy has publicly expressed negative opinions and degrading comments toward our state’s military servicemen and women.”
“As a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army and elected official representing Fort Bragg, the most populous military base in the world, I am deeply offended and disheartened over Mr. Eudy’s comments toward our state’s bravest men and women,” State Representative John Szoka added in the press release.
In an interview with The Daily Wire, Szoka also stated, “I’d like to take [Eudy] to Fort Bragg and introduce him to veterans who are walking around without limbs and let him meet the spouses and children of those who have been killed in action.”
On top of the advisor-to-be’s protest of service members and police officers, Eudy has also tweeted, “God doesn’t love America more [than other countries]. We’re not exceptional.”
Additionally, Eudy has passionate feelings about the state’s HB2 “Bathroom Bill,” tweeting that the bill is “not about bathrooms. It’s about legalizing discrimination. No different than nullification of civil rights laws in the [1960s].”
“I sit simply because I think it odd that, of all the categories of Americans that we honor, we honor warriors.”
Ken Eudy
Eudy also is the founder of Capstrat, LLC, a communications organization that did lengthy work for insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield-NC. During his time working with BCBS-NC, the watchdog organization N.C. Policy Watch substantially accused Eudy of attempting to strong-arm concerned policyholders questioning the non-profit’s record $190 million worth of earnings.
Furthermore, Eudy’s position as being both a major recipient of state dollars through contracts and a major donor to politicians has caused some to raise questions, as he has donated tens of thousands of dollars to state politicians (mostly to Democrats), while also receiving millions of dollars worth of state contracts.
Szokas, the North Carolina state representative, also acknowledged his concerns regarding Eudy’s business record, “it seems [Eudy] has a rather murky and suspicious background in pay-to-play.” Adding, “you shouldn’t be donating money to someone’s campaign in the expectation that you’ll get anything from it.”
Given these concerns, Szokas concluded by questioning governor-elect Roy Cooper’s choice of Eudy: “It concerns me that our governor-elect would overlook [Eudy’s] flaws when choosing someone to receive sound advice from.”