Sources: NCGOP HQ siding with Tillis re: spat with Craven GOP | Eastern North Carolina Now

        Publisher's: Brant Clifton continues to "dis" NC House Speaker Thom Tillis, as the NC GOP looks to "circle the wagons" in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

    We broke the story yesterday about the vote in Craven County to censure state House Speaker Thom Tillis. Now come word, from sources close to the censure effort in Craven County, that county party chairman Paul Hill and officials with the state GOP are trying to put the kibosh on this whole affair. One local source tells me:

    "Lawyers from the state party are saying that the letter of censure is not valid because - their words - the vote did not occur at an 'official meeting.' We beg to differ with that assessment. I think it is quite telling about the mindset in Raleigh when they try to nitpick this over technicalities, instead of discussing the substance of the matter. It's not like the concerns we're raising about Thom Tillis are brand new."

    This source tells me that the censure issue will be a hot topic of discussion during the Third Congressional District GOP meeting in New Bern this weekend - and at the state GOP convention in Charlotte next weekend. My source tells me the Craven GOP will meet again the week following the state convention to press forward with their concerns about Tillis.

    Another Craven source tells me that local GOP activists and leaders in Lenoir, Rockingham,and Dare counties as well as in a number of western counties, have been in contact with Craven censure supporters and are showing a lot of enthusiasm about replicating the Craven County party's efforts.