NRSC uses edited clip to falsely tie Cooper to Charlotte stabbing

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) deceptively edited a clip of former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in an effort to blame him for the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska.

Zarutska was killed last month on a Charlotte transit train by Decarlos Brown. Republicans have sought to politicize the tragedy, arguing that Brown, who has a criminal record, would have been in prison at the time if not for Democratic policies.

The edited clip makes it appear that Cooper endorsed pretrial release for criminal defendants as part of a racial equity task force he launched in 2020. In reality, he only said the task force would study the policy, which was never implemented.

The clip appears in a digital ad that also features Cooper’s Republican opponent, Michael Whatley, making a similar claim.

“[Brown] was let out on the revolting door of the Democrats’ soft on crime policies, led by Gov. Roy Cooper,” Whatley says.

Whatley’s claim has since been debunked by Politico, Axios, and WRAL, but the NRSC ad is still online.

The ad is reminiscent of the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign, which sought to blame Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis for a murder committed by a prisoner on a day pass. The spot is often cited as an example of a racist dog whistle.

Crime rates fell in North Carolina when Cooper was governor. Between 2017 and 2023, he enacted laws creating harsher punishments for gang members, gun crimes, and drug dealers. He also signed multiple bills increasing pay and resources for law enforcement.

An NRSC spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.