A pastor who is a registered sex offender and has twice served prison sentences for convictions involving minors delivered the opening prayer at a campaign event for North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley. The prayer asked for integrity and honesty, which is either a profound appeal for redemption or irony arriving in a church van.
The campaign says it did not invite him
Daimon L. King appeared at the Craven County Republican Party event, which also featured Whatley and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Whatley’s campaign said it neither organized the event nor invited King. That distinction matters, but it does not answer how a person with this record received a microphone and a visible place in campaign video.
King’s decades-old convictions are documented in state and court records. Rehabilitation and religious participation are legitimate subjects for discussion. Public leadership around children, however, requires stringent boundaries, transparency and safeguarding. Forgiveness does not erase risk-management responsibilities.
“Law and order” meets basic vetting
The episode is especially damaging because Whatley has made crime a central attack against Democratic opponent Roy Cooper. Political campaigns cannot demand maximal accountability from opponents while treating their own event security like a church-potluck signup sheet.
AP documented the convictions and the competing explanations. Gen X was told never to accept candy from strangers, yet grown organizations still forget to Google the person leading the prayer. Grace can be real. So can background checks. A responsible community makes room for both.
Facts first. Side-eye included.
DJF separates what is confirmed from what is claimed—and tells you why this particular mess is worth your time.