First, Joe Lombardo hid his inaugural committee donors behind a dark money group. Then, he vetoed legislation that would require him to disclose said donors. Now, he’s lying about the language of the bill – claiming it only applies to his office when it actually applies to all constitutional officers – because he couldn’t come up with a logical reason for his veto.
Considering Lombardo is already bought-and-paid-for by slumlord billionaire Robert Bigelow, there’s no telling if Bigelow – or other special interests – have flooded his inaugural committee with even more cash. But Lombardo has made it clear he’ll do whatever it takes, including lying, to keep his donors hidden from Nevadans.
Read more about Lombardo’s shady tactics below.
Associated Press: Nevada governor vetoes bill meant to publicize his post-inaugural donors
Gabe Stern
June 22, 2023
Key Points:
- Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo struck down a bill earlier this month that would have required the disclosure of donors for a nonprofit that organized his post-election inaugural events — and has since shifted to attacking Democrats critical of his agenda.
- The decision to have a nonprofit instead of a Political Action Committee handle his inaugural planning bucks trends from recent Nevada governors and notably allows the nonprofit to hide its donors.
- Amidst partisan battles over Lombardo’s school choice policies during the state’s biennial legislative session, the nonprofit paid for ads under a new name, urging viewers to call a handful of lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature to advance his school choice bills.
- “Increasing fairness and transparency in government and elections is an important goal,” Lombardo wrote in his veto message. “That said, if transparency is truly a priority for the Legislature, it should pass legislation requiring disclosure of activities beyond a single office.”
- Lombardo’s office declined to elaborate on his stance beyond the veto message. The bill would have applied to all six statewide elected offices including three Democrats and three Republicans and would have applied retroactively for committees connected to 2022 midterm campaigns.
- While Lombardo was noticeably outraised by Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak during the 2022 midterms, Las Vegas-based real estate mogul Robert Bigelow helped bankroll his campaign and close that gap. Bigelow donated over $50 million to PACs supporting Lombardo and other Nevada Republicans.
- Burke, the Service First Fund spokesperson, declined to disclose any of the nonprofits’ donors.
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