Drip… Drip… Drip… A New Scandal Emerges In Laxalt’s Personal Financial Disclosure
A recent story from the Nevada Independent revealed previously unknown details about one of Adam Laxalt’s top clients at his Washington, DC firm, Cooper and Kirk. In December, Laxalt filed his personal financial disclosure, showing that he had made $2.2 million at the Washington firm in just two years by serving nefarious clients, including a lobbying group funded by one of his top campaign donors. This new story shows that Laxalt was cashing in with another donor-linked venture in Florida at the same time, raising serious questions about the nature of Laxalt’s work for his donors and clients.
When Laxalt filed his personal financial disclosure, he listed two seemingly innocuous clients as his top sources of income, the “Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling” and “Bestbet Jacksonville.” But a bombshell story revealed that the “Coalition” was a lobbying group funded by Sheldon Adelson, who had contributed more than $1 million to Laxalt’s campaigns and groups backing him. As Attorney General, Laxalt was a reliable lackey for Adelson and was caught on tape pressuring a regulator to help him, engulfing them both in scandal.
Thanks to new reporting, we now know that “Bestbet Jacksonville” was also linked to Adelson’s company, and was in fact central to its efforts to expand into the Florida gaming market. Here are three questions Laxalt should answer:
- Was Adam Laxalt lobbying on behalf of Adelson’s company, Las Vegas Sands? Why did he not register as a lobbyist?
- Was Adam Laxalt the Adelson company’s inside man at “Bestbet?”
- What percent of Laxalt’s $2.2 million payday came from work on behalf of his campaign donors?
Statement from Nevada Democratic Spokesperson, Andy Orellana:
“Adam Laxalt has shown time and again that he will sell out to the highest bidder, and this shocking new reporting reveals another layer of his corrupt pay-to-play operation. It’s clear Laxalt is only running for Senate so he can continue to line his own pockets with his donors’ money.”
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