Adam Laxalt
GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt wants his office to finish its investigation into a Nevada sheriff accused of sexual assault before his campaign decides whether to denounce his endorsement.
Laxalt made the comments Tuesday night during an interview with Steve Sebelius and Christianne Klein of KLAS Channel 8. He said his office just recently received the case on one of the officials endorsing his campaign, Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro, who has been accused of harassment and sexual assault.
“We’re a prosecuting office,” Laxalt said. “I hope the voters understand that while there’s kind of political theatrics going on right now and people demand immediate rejection or endorsement and things like that, this case was referred to my office just a few weeks ago.”
Laxalt said it is “proper” for his campaign to wait to make a decision on the endorsement from a sheriff when his office is investigating him.
“I’m not going to do or say anything until that investigation is complete,” Laxalt said. “I think if I were to come out and unendorse or endorse at this stage of the game, it would either predict or prejudge the investigation.”
What was planned as a three-candidate GOP gubernatorial debate became separate interviews with Laxalt, business owner Jared Fisher, state Treasurer Dan Schwartz and College of Southern Nevada Professor Frederick Conquest. The format changed “due to the interpretation by the candidates of the qualifying criteria for the debate,” according to the station.
The candidates were asked in separate interviews about expanding background checks for gun purchases, repealing the commerce tax, and preventing sexual assault, among other issues.
Schwartz said he supports the Second Amendment and that his concern is over criminals and people who are mentally ill obtaining assault rifles. He said he’s spoken with the National Rifle Association about a ban or registration requirement for criminals and the mentally ill.
“They should not have guns,” he said. “Our kids should not be mowed down in classrooms.”
Laxalt said Nevada has a strong background check system, and people obtaining guns illegally are the real concern. He said the gun background check system is being reviewed for any cracks that can then become policy suggestions. Laxalt held a school safety summit, not associated with a similar event hosted by Sandoval with education leaders, and said law enforcement expressed a need for mental health services.
“Putting more restrictions on our law-abiding citizens who follow the rules and are simply expressing their Second Amendment rights, that’s not something that I think is going to make us safer,” he said. “Most law enforcement agrees with that.”
Laxalt’s office has said that the state’s narrowly approved gun background check law could not be enforced without federal cooperation. The FBI balked at the Nevada law requiring checks from the federal system, though supporters of the law say the state could be doing more to make the law work. A lawsuit has been filed against Laxalt and the governor over the stalled law.
Conquest said current gun laws are sufficient, but there do need to be increased penalties for those who commit crimes with guns. He also advocated for increasing access to education programs.
“Whether we have laws or not, criminals are going to still try to get guns,” Conquest said.
Fisher said people buy guns for collections, safety and hunting.
“I don’t believe we should implement new legislation to restrict these people with their Second Amendment right,” he said. “We already have enough laws in place, if we simply just follow what we have, then I think that we can start to address other ways of stopping this violence before it happens.”
Schwartz and Fisher advocated for cutting out waste in the state government. Fisher said savings could go toward Education Savings Accounts, which have gone unfunded.
All of the candidates criticized the state’s commerce tax, a bipartisan measure passed under term-limited Gov. Brian Sandoval. Laxalt said the state’s new pot tax revenue and other sources would make up for repealing the commerce tax.
They also criticized some of the tax incentives to bring businesses to the state, including $1.3 billion for Tesla and $750 million for the Raiders stadium, and what would have been $215 million for Faraday Future if that project hadn’t failed.
Fisher did say the state needed to invest to bring in business but that the Faraday deal was “bad negotiating.” Laxalt said the state needs to focus less on large tax incentives to bring businesses in. Schwartz said these incentives are going to industries that don’t need them, costing the state. Conquest said he wouldn’t have supported the Raiders stadium deal.
Conquest said that if elected, he’d nix the Nevada System of Higher Education in favor of the Nevada Department of Education. He said NSHE spends taxpayer money unnecessarily.
“It duplicates the education department of the state,” he said.
Eight candidates are competing for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Early voting runs through June 8 and the primary is June 12.