Lowden stands by her man, no matter how corrupt

Las Vegas, NV. – According to an investigative report, after Jim Gibbons served in the state legislature he allegedly used a former mistress as a courier to pick up bags and envelopes filled with cash from California businessmen, including one who later developed projects in Northern Nevada.

KLAS Channel 8 drew on court documents in a civil rights lawsuit against Gibbons brought by Las Vegas cocktail waitress Chrissy Mazzeo, who has accused Gibbons, then a candidate for governor, of attempting to rape her. Bizarrely, despite the source – sworn depositions – Gibbons threatened to sue KLAS and reporter George Knapp if the station ran the story.

But still Sue Lowden, a candidate for U.S. Senate, is standing by Gibbons. Even after several terms as a do-nothing congressman, three disastrous years as governor, a myriad of distracting personal scandals and several accusations of corruption, Sue Lowden has refused to put distance between herself and Gibbons. In fact, Gibbons hand-picked Lowden to be chairwoman of the Nevada GOP and she returned the favor by being one of the first and only people to endorse Gibbons for reelection.

So why does Lowden continue to ally herself with Gibbons?

The truth is, Lowden’s comfort consorting with a corrupt governor like Jim Gibbons should come as no surprise considering some of her business associates. Until recently Lowden served as a member of Colonial Bank’s Nevada Board of Directors. Colonial Bank’s 2008 application for funding from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was approved. But then C¬¬olonial Bank was investigated by the FBI for suspect accounting and possible mortgage-related criminal violations tied to their TARP application. The bank has since been seized and was sold off last year during the course of the investigation. Colonial’s failure was the largest bank failure of 2009.

Clearly dealing with shady characters is nothing new for Lowden.

“The kind of person who would not only associate with but also stand up for a corrupt politician like Jim Gibbons is not the kind of person we need serving Nevada in the Senate,” said Phoebe Sweet, communications director for the Nevada State Democratic Party. “We knew Lowden was willing to put insurance company profits ahead of women’s health, voting to make mammogram coverage optional. We knew she was willing to take advantage of her workers to get ahead while she was a Las Vegas casino owner. And now we know that she has the bad sense to get involved with Wall Street Banks accused of criminal dealings, even sitting on the state board of the biggest bank to fail in 2009. Standing by Jim Gibbons is just the latest example of the bad judgment that has characterized Sue Lowden’s political career.”