Former North Carolina GOP Leader’s Appointment of Convicted Sex Offender Raises Concerns
Michael Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024, is under scrutiny for appointing Harvey West, a registered sex offender, to influential roles within the party. West, previously convicted for indecent liberties with minors, held positions that may have provided him access to young adults during his tenure.
The Asheville Watchdog reported that Whatley appointed West to the 1st Congressional District Committee and the Plan of Organization Committee. This period saw West attending nearly 30 state party meetings where members of the North Carolina Teenage Republicans were present.
West’s criminal background stems from a 2000 guilty plea for sexual misconduct with three minors, resulting in a six-year prison sentence and a mandatory sex offender registration. Despite maintaining his innocence, West admitted to the charges to avoid a potentially harsher sentence. He also claimed transparency about his past with the party, as stated in an interview with PolitiFact.
Photographic evidence on Whatley’s Facebook, from August 2022, captures West at a meeting seated next to the North Carolina Teenage Republicans’ chair. Further images depict West in settings with young party members, including attending a 2020 get-out-the-vote event and the state GOP convention, with pictures posted by the Inner Banks Young Republicans on Instagram.
West’s involvement extended to the Republican National Conventions in 2020 and 2024, places where high school students were also delegates. He and Whatley appear together in photos from a September 2019 recruitment dinner supporting President Donald Trump’s reelection, an event attended by minors.
To date, there have been no new allegations against West since his release from prison. However, Whatley, now a U.S. Senate candidate competing against former Gov. Roy Cooper, faces increasing scrutiny over these appointments. This Senate race is anticipated to be one of the most fiercely contested of 2026.
The information first appeared on American Journal News.
