Governor Pat McCrory has again defended North Carolina's new voting law during a talk at a leading conservative think tank.
McCrory spoke at an event Monday hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington. He stood behind the state's new voting rules, which require a photo ID at the polls, pointing out that 32 other states have similar laws. He also criticized attorney general Roy Cooper for speaking out against the law.
"He can have his personal opinion, but as a lawyer, you should not publicize your personal opinion if you're going to be defending the people who are promoting this common sense law. Good lawyers don't do that," McCrory said.
Cooper has said his office has shown it can successfully defend the state no matter what his personal views are. McCrory has hired private counsel to defend the law because of Cooper's public statements. The state's lawyers denied allegations of racial discrimination in their initial response to the lawsuit Monday.
Meanwhile, the governor also said new federal regulations could force North Carolina to expand its Medicaid program. A McCrory spokesman says he was talking about a rule that expands a hospital's ability to determine that some patients who are not getting federal assistance could qualify. Hospitals can bill the state government for up to two months until they reach a final decision.
North Carolina was one of 26 Republican-led states to reject the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.