HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on the fire set at a North Carolina county Republican Party headquarters (all times local):
6:20 p.m.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says the burning of a local GOP office is unlike anything he’s seen in his political career.
McCrory addressed reporters on Monday outside of the Orange County GOP headquarters that was burned by a flammable device early Sunday.
He said: “To come back near our state capital and see a broken window from a molotov cocktail is unimaginable.” He has been traveling to other areas of the state that have been stricken by floods in recent days.
McCrory also questioned why it took several hours after an emergency call was made for Hillsborough authorities to make an official public statement.
Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton told The Associated Press in an interview that one of his department’s first calls was to federal agents, who were on scene less than an hour after his officers arrived. He says his department took the act very seriously and understood its implications from the beginning.
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5:50 p.m.
The White House is responding to reports of a fire being set at a local Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina, saying there is no justification for the use of violence to advance a political agenda.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in Monday’s press briefing that President Barack Obama has consistently praised political activists who sought to overcome significant differences through the use of non-violent tactics.
Earnest says in a season heated with political rhetoric that neither side benefits from vandalism and violence.
He is also noting that some Democrats are trying to raise money to rebuild the campaign office. The online campaign he says is consistent with the president’s optimistic vision about the country and that progress can be made on key issues by focusing on shared values.
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4:15 p.m.
A GoFundMe online drive by Democrats to raise $10,000 to reopen the North Carolina county Republican office that was damaged by a fire-bombing attack needed only 40 minutes to meet its goal.
Harvard University researcher David Weinberger created the site and says the speed with which the money was raised shows that Americans are “thirsty for civility and decency.”
His point was underscored by the fact that local Democrats joined the campaign.
Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley says the Democrats gesture is great and they appreciate it a lot.
Local, state and federal officials are investigating the attack.
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8:45 a.m.
The police chief in a North Carolina town where a fire was set at the county Republican Party headquarters said Monday that he had no new developments to report.
Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said in an email that nothing developed overnight as the investigation continues into the fire-bombing of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters late Saturday or early Sunday.
No one was hurt when a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown the window of the building. An earlier news release from the town said the building next door was spray-painted with the words: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”
A state Republican official called the attack “political terrorism.” Republican offices around the state are reviewing their security.
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7:05 a.m.
Authorities are investigating after a local Republican Party office in North Carolina was set on fire in what a state GOP official called “political terrorism.”
According to a Sunday news release from the town of Hillsborough, a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The flammable substance that was thrown into the office ignited and damaged the interior before burning out. No one was injured.
In addition to the fire, the news release says an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”
State GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse called the fire “political terrorism” and said Republican offices around the state were re-examining their security.
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