GERMAN’S ASSASSINATION DEMANDS ROB TELLES FACE THE DEATH PENALTY

CREDIT AP

Sept 12, 2022

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

The morning after Democrat public official, Rob Telles, was arrested by Las Vegas Metro Police for the premeditated, political assassination of investigative reporter Jeff German, numerous reporters blasted Sheriff Lombardo about deterring such violence against reporters in the future.

All the local Dem news outlets openly oppose the death penalty in Nevada, so this case is going to cause them serious stress.

I believe the only acceptable charge for Telles is the death penalty. People who commit such political violence must be made an example of. Just like police, political journalists are often the targets of very bad and sometimes very dangerous powerful people.

The fact is, investigative reporters, like German, often uncover government corruption that can land people in prison, making them a target of violence. Worse, their reporting can cost powerful people their power.

Investigative reporters are murdered in other countries by their governments, by drug cartels and by organized criminals. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, from 1992 through 2022 10 reporters in the U.S. have been murdered. What happens next will determine if reporters become a target or if they feel safe to continue the fight.

Such a harsh penalty is necessary to discourage people from murdering reporters in the future. The death penalty not only protects other investigative reporters from such a fate, it upholds the 1st Amendment of our Constitution. The entire fabric  of our society depends on the freedom of the press. The government has a duty to protect and defend the freedom of the press. In this case, whether Telles allegedly assassinated German over losing his election or to stop German from publishing his criminal behavior in office, Telles’ actions were an attack on the authority the U.S. Constitution provides the press.

If the death penalty is not pursued in this case, every reporter will always worry if; their next article will get them killed.

Nevada is still a death penalty state; even Gov. Sisolak refused to ban it when it came up for his signature in the last legislative session.

Our Clark County DA, Steve Wolfson, has charged many murders over the years with the death penalty, so I know he wants to do what’s right in this case. I urge Mr. Wolfson to make a clear statement to the world that our community will uphold our values of freedom of speech and democracy by pursuing the death penalty in Jeff German’s political assassination.