RALEIGH - The North Carolina director for America Votes, Jessica Laurenz, has admitted she wrote the caustic political strategy memo which advocated eviscerating Governor Pat McCroy and the Republican legislative leadership. It also suggested private investigators be hired to tail members of the executive branch.

Laurenz told the Raleigh News and Observer she had no problem with the memo.

The confidential memo was exposed by the Charlotte Observer last week and officials from Blueprint North Carolina said they dfistributed it. MCrory called the memo shameful. House Speaker Thom Tillis used it as a fundraising appeal. The state Republican Party registered complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and the state elections board, asking both to investigate Blueprint for political activity outside its charitable status as a 501 (c)3 organization.

America Votes is allowed to participate in political efforts as a 501(c)4 nonprofit under federal tax law.

In a statement, Blueprint Executive Director Sean Kosofsky said his group is the victim of a political disinformation campaign.