As the North Carolina gubernatorial race heats up, so does the rhetoric, regarding the controversial HB2 “bathroom bill.”

Governor Pat McCrory has maintained that HB2 is a commonsense bill, meant to preserve the safety and privacy of individuals in their most vulnerable and private of places – the bathrooms and shower rooms around North Carolina.

Attorney General Roy Cooper, Democrat challenger for the Governor’s seat, has towed the social justice warrior line and declared the bill “anti-transgender,” refusing to do his job and defend the state against the lawsuit brought by Obama’s Department of (social) Justice.

On Thursday, Governor McCrory’s office revealed that AG Cooper had quietly filed with federal court his office’s intentions to defend the state against the federal lawsuit.

The filing came the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, with little fanfare.

While Cooper’s office insists the filing was just an admission that the state deserves a defense, and a request for an extension of time to find representation, McCrory spokesman, Ricky Diaz, is calling for Cooper to resign, based on conflicting statements and neglecting his duties, as AG.

From abc11.com:

“’Cooper should resign immediately, not only for gross incompetence, but also the serious professional and ethical conflicts of interests he has brought upon himself by siding with the Obama administration instead of defending North Carolina,’ Diaz said.”

North Carolina Democrat Party Chairwoman Patsy Keever insists that the HB2 law is unconstitutional and at odds with federal law, releasing Cooper of any obligation to defend the state.

Diaz pressed:

“’He’s sending wildly conflicting messages,’ Diaz said, ‘and beyond that, he’s continuing to trash the law and refusing to stand up to the Obama Administration. His duty as Attorney General is to defend North Carolina.’”

The Cooper campaign insists that the Attorney General will not resign his position, because.

You can see a copy of the paperwork filed by Cooper’s office here.