Advocacy groups have filed ethics complaints against North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina over six-figure stock payouts they received while in office from an online mortgage broker.
Progress North Carolina Action filed a complaint Monday against McCrory with the North Carolina Ethics Commission. The complaint against Sanford was filed with the U.S. House Ethics Committee by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The Associated Press reported last month the Carolinas politicians were granted restricted stock shares while board members at Charlotte-based LendingTree. Both resigned shortly after taking office, which would have rendered the special shares worthless. But the company's board voted to give them the payouts anyway. Neither official fully described the transactions on their ethics forms.
McCrory and Sanford have denied any wrongdoing.
