During a North Carolina House committee hearing on public safety, Sheriff McFadden admitted he didn’t know there were three branches of government and wrongly placed his office in the judicial branch instead of the executive.
The moment came amid tough scrutiny over 21 inmate deaths in his jails, his office’s stance on ICE detainers, and other controversies like a dismissed petition alleging threats and misuse of deputies.
DEI appointments threaten public safety. If nothing else, it was funny.
Rep. Chesser: Which branch of government do you operate under, Sheriff?
Sheriff: The Constitution of the United States.
The representative asked again, and the Sheriff said he works for Mecklenburg County and the people of Mecklenburg.
Rep. Chesser: Do you know how many branches of government there are?
Sheriff: No
Mecklenburg County Rep. Chesser said he didn’t think that’s where they’d get stuck. To save time, Chesser named the three branches and asked Sheriff McFadden which one he belonged to: executive, legislative, or judicial. McFadden said, “the last one,” and, of course, he was wrong.
You don’t have to know anything at all if you are a Democrat.
🚨HOLY CRAP!!!
The Democrat Sheriff of Charlotte NC, Gary McFadden, was just completely unable to answer:
a) What the 3 branches of government are.
b) Which branch he serves under.This is genuinely painful to watch… completely shocking. pic.twitter.com/PRIAkvFxCw
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) February 9, 2026
This was a removal hearing.
This was during a removal hearing over alleged misconduct and abuse for North Carolina Democrat Mecklenburg county Sheriff Garry McFadden. Embarrassing!
They have no clue what-so-ever — Get rid of these DEI folks — pic.twitter.com/Fymydgd9gk
— Todd Pryll (@ttpryll) February 10, 2026
