A Raleigh hearing turned into a viral moment after Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden struggled to explain what branch of government his office operates under — and now critics are calling it a red flag.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Oh it got AWKWARD in Raleigh. Garry McFadden, the sheriff of Mecklenburg County, is going viral — and not for locking anybody up.
He’s trending because during a heated legislative hearing, he could not answer what branch of government he operates under. On Monday, McFadden appeared before the House Oversight and Reform Committee to answer questions about crime, leadership, and how he’s running one of North Carolina’s largest sheriff’s offices.
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Then Republican State Rep. Allen Chesser asked him a simple, direct question:
“What branch of government do you operate under?”
Instead of saying “executive branch,” McFadden responded vaguely about “Mecklenburg County.”
The lawmaker pressed further.
“How many branches of government are there?”
McFadden admitted he didn’t know.
After legislators spelled it out — legislative, executive, and judicial — McFadden then said he believed he was part of the judicial branch.
For clarity. Sheriffs enforce laws. That’s executive branch business.
Video of the exchange spread fast.
Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden
McFadden — a Democrat and the first Black sheriff of Mecklenburg County — is currently up for reelection and facing challengers in the Democratic primary.
