Sandoval Lies In Interview (Twice)

Says He Didn’t Tell Univision His “Children Don’t Look Hispanic”

The lies are piling up around GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval.

Last night, Sandoval denied that he ever told Spanish-language television station Univision’s news director, Adriana Arevalo, that he’s not concerned about the impacts of the controversial Arizona immigration law struck down in part by a federal court yesterday because his “children don’t look Hispanic.”

Arevalo wrote in a column last week that Sandoval “said in an interview on Univision that he vehemently supported Arizona’s anti-immigrant law. In reference to the same law, he was asked how he would feel if his children were stopped in the street and asked for their papers. He answered, with a note of pride in his voice, ‘my children don’t look Hispanic.’”

Yet, inexplicably, Sandoval told Jon Ralston’s Face to Face that he has never been asked about his children being approached by police or commented on whether they look Hispanic. (View video here. Full transcript below.)

“I’ve never heard that quote before,” Sandoval told Ralston. “And I’ve never described my children as looking Hispanic or not Hispanic – so I don’t agree with that translation, whatsoever… I disagree with it because I don’t recall being asked about my kids.”

But Jon Ralston reports today that Sandoval did, in fact, make the comments during a Univision interview.

“I have confirmed that Brian Sandoval, as reported by Univision’s news director in a column and revealed in an earlier blog post, did indeed say that his children don’t look Hispanic when asked by the Spanish-language station whether he was worried about his kids being profiled if they were in Arizona.

“Sandoval denied (twice) making the comments during an interview with ‘Face to Face’ this week. But the comments are on videotape, I have confirmed. Univision, however, is declining to release the tape, claiming (as most media organizations would) that it is work product.”

So now Sandoval is calling both Arevalo and Ralston liars?

If Sandoval maintains that he never made these shocking comments, he should give Univision the green light to release a tape of the interview, proving he never made such an insensitive remark.

“This is about more than just Brian Sandoval lying to Nevada voters,” said Phoebe Sweet, communications director for the Nevada State Democratic Party. “It’s also about his callous disregard for anyone but himself.  Brian's disregard for the voters of Nevada - and the fact that he lied about it - is troubling.”

Full transcript of Brian Sandoval on Jon Ralston’s Face to Face:

Ralston:  The current edition of El Tiempo, which is a Hispanic publication in Las Vegas, features an opinion piece in which you’re quoted as being unconcerned with your children being asked for papers in Arizona because, you said, “my children are not seen as Spanish.”  That’s what it says.

Brian: (uh…)

Ralston: That’s not what you said?  That’s the translation – we checked with the author of the article, too. What did you mean?

Brian:  I’ve never heard that quote before.  And I’ve never described my children as looking Hispanic or not Hispanic – so I don’t agree with that translation, whatsoever.

Ralston: You were asked if you were worried about them being approached, and you said they’re not seen….

Brian: No one has ever asked me about them being approached.

Ralston:  No one has ever asked you?

Ralston: So that article is incorrect then?

Brian:  I disagree with it because I don’t recall being asked about my kids.