By: Chuck Muth
Citizen Outreach
Ahab’s Spouse Pimping for Moby Dick’s Opponent
By Chuck Muth
This is the story about a web of conflicts of interest which would make Spiderman proud. And unfortunately it’s not fiction.
Playing the part of Capt. Ahab is Democrat Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto. Moby Dick is being played by Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki. His opponent is played by Robert Randazzo. And starring as the pimp is Paul Masto, the AG’s hubby.
Here’s a “Dirty Politics for Dummies” version of the story, as best as I understand it….
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Krolicki was the state’s Treasurer. As Treasurer, Krolicki was responsible for setting up a new college tuition savings program for Nevada’s citizens. A bank account was set up for the program. Citizens began putting money into it. And Krolicki’s office paid bills for the program out of the bank account.
The program has been widely successful. And after Krolicki left the Treasurer’s office to become lieutenant governor, the Legislature performed an audit of the program and found that NO MONEY WAS MISSING. Every dime was properly accounted for.
However….
From what I can gather, Democrats trying to make Krolicki look bad and score some political points then accused Krolicki of essentially using the wrong bank account.
Instead of depositing and expending money from the trust account which was set up for the program, partisan critics complained that the money should have been deposited into the hell-hole we know as the state’s general fund where red tape could and would hamper and screw up the program’s administration. So this really appears to be nothing more than a bureaucratic turf war. After all, as everyone agrees….
THERE WAS NO MONEY MISSING.
And yet…
Attorney General Masto has taken the unusual step of trying to CRIMINALIZE this political turf battle by seeking a grand jury indictment of Krolicki for what appears to be nothing more than using a disputed bank account.
Now here’s the kicker: The attorney general’s office apparently signed off on Krolicki’s use of the disputed bank account at the time it was established, well BEFORE Masto took over.
Nevertheless, instead of acknowledging that she and the AG’s office had a major league conflict of interest – since the AG’s office was involved in setting up the account in the first place – Masto has continued to hound Krolicki, fighting in court to retain the power to persecute….er, prosecute him.
A lower court judge ruled a few months ago that Masto and her office were too conflicted in the matter and needed to turn the case over to an independent prosecutor. But Masto appealed, and the judge who issued the original conflict decision was judged to have had a conflict in the case as well – and the decision was overturned. So now Masto is back at the helm of the S.S. Pequod, harpoon firmly in hand.
Krolicki’s persecution…er, prosecution at the hands of Masto is now scheduled to finally begin in court on December 14, 2009.
Now get this….
Four days before the trial is set to begin, AG Masto’s husband is throwing a fundraiser for a Democrat candidate who has announced he’s running against Krolicki next year!
I $%#& you not.
“Friends,” Paul Matso wrote in the headline for an email fundraising invitation last Friday, “as someone who has been involved in our community for years, I believe it is long overdue for Nevada to elect someone who is qualified to fill the position of Lt. Governor. That person is Robert S. Randazzo.”
The fundraising event is slated to be held on December 10th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Firefly in downtown Las Vegas. The suggested contribution is $1,000 per person.
But merely lending his name to a headline quote wasn’t sufficient for Capt. Ahab’s spouse. Mr. Masto then went into even greater detail in the body copy of the fundraising invitation:
“It’s time that we elect a Lieutenant Governor who can bring new business to our state and Robert Randazzo is the perfect choice. He has worked tirelessly throughout his life, beginning as a member of the cleaning crew of United Airlines and ultimately becoming a Chief Pilot before founding his own successful business: Precision Manuals Development Group. Through his experience as an entrepreneur and small business owner, Robert has developed relationships with numerous companies around the world, as well as acquired the skills necessary to bring his business expertise to Nevada when we need it the most. I personally respect and trust Robert, and know that he possesses the qualifications and dedication necessary for the office of Lieutenant Governor. I ask you to please join me in supporting Robert Randazzo for Lieutenant Governor.”
Now, to be fair this isn’t really about Robert Randazzo. Maybe he really is the best thing since sliced bread, just as Paul Masto claims.
No, the troubling part about this is that the husband of the attorney general is promoting a major fundraising event for an opponent of the sitting lieutenant governor just four days before the attorney general is scheduled to open her case against the sitting lieutenant governor in a Nevada court of law.
Now, I know Nevada’s ethics laws are, shall we say, rather loose. But this takes the cake.
Mrs. Masto is using her public office for a political prosecution of Brian Krolicki while Mr. Masto is trying to raise gobs of money for Brian Krolicki’s opponent? And this, somehow, doesn’t stink like yesterday’s diapers?
Outrageous.
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