LOMBARDO ETHICS COMMISSION BOMBSHELL

July 24, 2023

Back in October 2021, Bernie Sanders derelict, Matthew DeFalco, filed an ethics complaint against Sheriff Lombardo for wearing his police uniform in campaign ads. The Nevada Ethics Commission is solely made up of Sisolak and Dem appointees, which may explain why they never investigated Sisolak’s corruption and are only now coming after Gov. Lombardo after he vetoed Dems’ legislation. The ethics hearing was triggered on May 30, 2023, by the committee of Sisolak appointees threatening Lombardo with fines totaling $1.6 million.

On June 8, 2023,  360 News Las Vegas served the Nevada Ethics Commission with the following open records request:

360 News Las Vegas Political Reporter Rob Lauer requests all internal and external communications from all members of the board and investigators, including emails and text messages involving the investigation of Gov. Lombardo’s alleged violations of campaign ethics laws, including but not limited to NRS 281A.400(2) and NRS 281A.400(7).

You have 5 business days to respond under the Nevada Open Records Act (NRS.239), revised under SB287

Only after threatening to sue them last week did they turn over any documents. Mind you they were required to turn over documents within 5 business days. This was a concerted effort to delay the release of exculpatory documents.

Today we finally received a few documents. They are still claiming some 40 plus documents are privileged.

THE BOMBSHELL

On May 17, 2023, Ethics Commissioner and Nevada lawyer Damian R. Sheets emailed his resignation letter to the commission, citing political interference in the ethics charges brought against Gov. Lombardo.

Dear Chairwoman Wallin and Executive Director Armstrong

I have mixed emails in wring this letter which serves as my formal resignation as a
Commissioner of the Nevada Commission on Ethics. My resignation is immediate and I am
copying the Governor’s office on this resignation letter. It is with great sadness that I make
this decision, but I can no longer serve on a commission that has strayed from its original
purpose and has been tainted by political interference, whether it be a product of internal
members’ political views or external influence.

When Democratic Governor Sisolak appointed me to the Commission, I was honored to
accept. My father, at one time, had been the Chairman of the Nevada Commission on
Ethics. I had always believed the Commission was established to protect Nevada citizens
from the misuse of political office for personal gain and to ensure that
governmental officials act with the highest level of integrity and honesty. The Commission
was specifically designed to operate free of political interference and with the highest level
of objective scrutiny. Unfortunately, since becoming a Commissioner, I have witnessed a
disturbing trend in the Commission’s behavior that leads me to feel my time must come to
an end.

While the Commission is supposed to investigate complaints without bias, prejudice, or
preference, the Commission’s recent actions have shown it has little desire to do so. Shortly
after hiring a new executive director, the Commission self-initiated a complaint and
investigation against then gubernatorial candidate Joseph Lombardo. This complaint, which was initiated by the then Executive Director of the Commission alleged that Mr. Lombardo was committing an ethics violation because of his display of his badge in campaign ads. To somehow claim that a gubernatorial candidate who was the current Clark County Sheriff should be prohibited from discussing with or showing the public his high ranking law enforcement service to the community was preposterous and, in my opinion,
such a proposition was particularly offensive considering the complaints about others that the Commission elected not to investigate, even after concluding there was jurisdiction to do so.

Also of particular concern was the timing of this self-initiated complaint, which just so
happened to be initiated during the beginning of a hotly contested gubernatorial race (the
Commission formally issued the order for the investigation February 24, 2022, and the self
initiated complaint was tendered shortly are Mr. Lombardo announced his campaign run
in 2021). Additionally, and mysteriously, shortly thereafter, the Executive Director was
terminated or resigned from the Commission without any sufficient explanation to the
Commission as to the reasoning behind that departure. During the discussions regarding
the Lombardo complaint, I objected to the Commission’s course and made my poison
clear. I was admonished by others at the commission that precedent established that
there was an ethical violation. I did not feel it was proper that my findings were being
suggested for me, especially considering I had already made my objections known.
Despite these objections, the review panel -comprised of myself, a Democrat appointed
by Governor Sisolak, Commissioner Grunewald, a Democrat Legislative appointee, and
Commissioner Duffrin, another Sisolak appointee- overruled my vote and chose (despite
the Commission’s actions with other individuals) to pursue this complaint against then
Republican candidate and now Governor Lombardo.

In my opinion, this behavior was unacceptable and violates the core principles upon
which the Commission was founded. The decision to self-initiate a complaint against a
gubernatorial candidate, during the outset of the campaign, while having previously
ignored other (stronger) complaints against other individuals, appeared to be nothing
more than a politically motivated hit job. This decision went against the principles of
fairness and impartiality that are essential to the Commission’s work. It is clear to me that
the Commission has lost its way and is no longer operating in the best interests of the
citizens of Nevada or free of political influence and, while I had hoped to remain on the
Commission to vote against any action proposed against Governor Lombardo, it appears
that my vote will have no consequence, as the decision has already been made.

.
Therefore, I am resigning immediately and hoping that this leer breathes some common
sense into the remaining Commissioners’ handling of the misplaced Lombardo complaint.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the
Commission. It was an honor to be appointed to a commission with the common goal of
upholding the highest standards of ethics in public office. I am proud of the work I have
done, the strong opinions I have put forth, and I hope that the Commission will soon find
its way back to the principles that guided its establishment.

Thank you for your time and assistance, and I wish the Commission well.

Mr. Sheets makes it clear that the entire investigation was unlawful and unethical. He claims in his letter that the Ethic Commission self-initiated the investigation and that they lied about his support.

PRR Response-2 (1) ethics doc resigantion