Current News

/

ArcaMax

Anonymous post describes 'unruly' NC lawmakers at distillery. Here's what we know.

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The Charlotte Observer on

Published in News & Features

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An anonymous social media post over the weekend claimed that a group of North Carolina politicians were drunk and disruptive during a tour of a distillery in Kentucky.

The post caused a stir in political circles, but officials questioned about the post Monday didn’t have answers about what happened.

In a Reddit post titled “Disappointing behavior from NC legislators,” a Reddit user identifying themselves as a “representative” of a Kentucky distillery wrote that the facility recently hosted a group of 33 people from North Carolina, including legislators and government officials.

The post’s author wrote that the group arrived an hour late and “already inebriated from drinking bourbon on the bus” and that it was “marked by loud, unruly conduct that disrupted other guests and tarnished the atmosphere we work hard to maintain.”

The Reddit post quickly circulated in the North Carolina political world over the weekend, with one lawmaker on Monday saying they had received a call about it. But The News & Observer was unable to reach the Reddit user or immediately confirm their account of what happened, and could not reach the distillery mentioned in the post.

North Carolina Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer told The N&O on Monday that, “the quick answer is that I have seen the posts and can confirm it was not an NCGOP event or affiliated with the state party.”

 

Mercer referred questions to Greater Carolina, a free-market, conservative group, without giving details about how the group was connected. A call to Greater Carolina from The N&O has not yet been returned.

State House Minority Leader Robert Reives said he understood that some members of the House Alcohol Beverage Control Committee were invited to the event. The N&O has contacted several members of the committee to learn more.

N.C. Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincolnton Republican who serves on the committee, told The N&O in a text on Monday that “I don’t respond to anonymous posts on the internet.”

The Reddit user wrote: “What was perhaps most disturbing was their lack of accountability for their actions. Despite being extremely rude, disruptive, not tipping the bartenders and tour guides, and even VOMITING in our bathroom sinks, not a single apology was offered…despite our efforts to provide them with a pleasant experience by preparing cocktails and offering tastings,” the post continued.

...continued

swipe to next page

©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit at charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus