N.C. GOP spokesman urges reporter to drop news story, citing Trump ties

Communications director Matt Mercer later says in a social media post that Trump should “feed ProPublica to the USAID wood chipper.”

October 31, 2025
By Brianna Tucker
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=
Media outlet ProPublica published a story about North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby and appeared to be threatened by a spokesman for the state's Republican Party. (Makiya Seminera/AP)


A spokesman for the North Carolina Republican Party appeared to threaten the news outlet ProPublica — citing “connections” to the Trump administration — over a story it reported and ultimately published on a prominent conservative state Supreme Court judge.

The story examined state Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, his starkly conservative transformation of the court and power over the state’s politics. When Newby declined to be interviewed and the court’s communications and media team did not respond to questions, the reporter contacted his daughter, who also serves as the state GOP’s finance director.

Instead, the publication said it received a response from North Carolina GOP spokesman Matt Mercer, attempting to coerce ProPublica to kill the story.

“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” Mercer said in an email that ProPublica published.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/31/republican-north-carolina-propublica-trump/


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