In his State of the State Address one year ago today, Joe Lombardo claimed that his administration would govern with “transparency, candor, and integrity” – but since making that promise, Lombardo has only dodged the truth and worked to avoid accountability.
After his inauguration, reporting revealed that Lombardo, contrary to bipartisan precedent, registered his inaugural committee as a dark money group so that he could legally refuse to disclose who his donors are and how he was spending their money. Not only that, he also vetoed Senate Bill 60 during last year’s legislative session, which would have required constitutional officers, including himself, to disclose their inaugural committee donors. Since he’s already sold out to one special interest slumlord, it’s not any surprise that he’d work to hide all other donors.
Lombardo’s ethical bankruptcy doesn’t end there. After being censured by the Nevada Commission on Ethics – despite his attempt to sabotage the ruling by delaying his original ethics hearing date to appoint two of his cronies who voted to protect him – Lombardo filed an appeal challenging the constitutionality of the commission itself. This was all even after his own legal team admitted that he violated ethics laws.
“Joe Lombardo’s pledge to ‘govern with transparency, candor, and integrity’ is nothing more than another broken promise. In the year since making that promise, he’s covered up the truth, worked to dodge accountability from an ethics scandal, and hid information about his donors from voters,” said Nevada State Democratic Party Spokesperson Stephanie Justice. “One thing is for sure: Lying Lombardo’s second year in office will just be a continuation of corruption and obscurity.”
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