By GARY D. ROBERTSON

Associated Press

RALEIGH -- A political ally of former Gov. Mike Easley testified Monday at a State Board of Elections hearing investigating Easley campaign finances that he provided scores of unreported campaign-related flights to Easley valued at nearly $88,000.

McQueen Campbell, also the former trustee board chairman at N.C. State University, also told election board members Easley asked him to pay for about $11,000 in repairs at the governor's home in Raleigh, which he rented to someone else while living in the Executive Mansion.

Campbell, the first witness to the board in its public hearing investigating The Mike Easley Committee and the state Democratic Party, testified Easley suggested Campbell would be reimbursed with campaign funds and to use some unreported flights to pay them.

"He asked if there were unbilled flights," Campbell told elections board Chairman Larry Leake, who questioned Campbell as to what he believe Easley wanted him to do.

Campbell responded: "For me to bill the campaign for unbilled flights to uncover those amounts."

Campbell said he filed two invoices through his aircraft company for undesignated flights that totaled $11,037.50. The campaign paid his company for them, according to campaign records.

The unreported flights and alleged falsified repair payments through the campaign would appear to be campaign finance law violations. But Easley personal attorney Thomas Hicks of Wilmington challenged Campbell's testimony under cross-examination.

Hicks painted Easley as a busy chief executive who had little involvement in his day-to-day campaign finances and questioned why he didn't file invoices to seek reimbursements for actual flights that Campbell piloted between October 1999 and October 2004.

"He never told you to file a false invoice to this committee, did he?" Hicks asked Campbell.

"Not specifically, but I understood what he meant," Campbell responded.

During a break, Hicks told reporters that the ex-governor would have never authorized Campbell to submit a false invoice.

"If I was doing work for somebody and spending money and had to pay for my gas and my insurance I'd sure send an invoice," Hicks said. "The governor wouldn't do anything intentionally to violate any of the election law."

Bob Hall, executive director the campaign finance reform group Democracy North Carolina, said Campbell's testimony was "a bit of a bombshell" and said Easley's campaign committee, which handled millions of dollars, should have known to resolve Campbell's flights.

"I don't know if it can be explained away," Hall said. As for the flights, Hall said, "they're much more extensive than they thought of it before."

Campbell, 38, testified he had known Easley for about 20 years and that he had provided flights to Easley's campaign and for personal use going back to the late 1990s, when then-attorney general Easley was running for governor.

Campbell said his records showed he flew Easley on 61 flight legs from October 1998 to November 2000, when he became governor.

When asked if he knew the flights could have violated campaign laws limiting donations to $4,000 per election, Campbell said he believed the campaign would let him know if he needed to report something.

"I enjoyed flying. I enjoyed politics. My family had a relationship with Gov. Easley," he said. "I don't remember thinking much about the details."

The board has subpoenaed about 30 people to appear some time before the board, including Easley, who didn't appear as the hearing began Monday morning. The board -- three Democrats and two Republicans -- could issue fines or reprimands, refer the case to a district attorney for criminal charges, or exonerate the party and The Mike Easley Committee.