08 Mar STATEMENT Regarding the Absence of Attorney General Adam Laxalt during the Budget Hearing for his Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Contact: Annette Magnus, annette@battlebornprogress.org & Maria-Teresa Liebermann, mariateresa@
LAS VEGAS – Today, the joint Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee heard the budget for the Nevada Attorney General’s office. Advocacy groups from across Nevada are concerned about the Attorney General blowing off this committee for a press conference in Las Vegas. The groups released the following statements:
“I find it concerning that the Attorney General could not find the time today to appear in front of the joint money committee to ask for more taxpayer dollars for his slush fund,” said Annette Magnus, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress. “On a regular basis the Attorney General ignores the will of the taxpayers of Nevada while asking for taxpayer dollars to move his extreme agenda forward. I think it is interesting that the Attorney General could make time for a press conference in Las Vegas but could not bother to answer questions about his FBI investigation, his connections to Sheldon Adelson, and his waste of taxpayer dollars on a lawyer for his failed voucher program, among other things. We hope that the Attorney General will take this more seriously in the future and do his job – until then we will continue to ask #WheresLaxalt. ”
“After wasting taxpayer dollars on lawsuits challenging protections for clean water and clean air our attorney general, Adam Laxalt, dodged answering questions about his waste by choosing not to appear at a hearing this morning about his Agency’s budget,” said Andy Maggi, Executive Director of the Nevada Conservation League. “We expect more transparency from Nevada’s top law enforcement officer, especially when his challenges to federal clean air, clean water, and public lands run counter to the conservation values shared by Nevadans across the state.”
“While we certainly commend the Attorney General for working to process the backlog of rape kits, work that actually began under Attorney General Cortez Masto, today’s press conference doesn’t make up for his support of President Trump and his attacks on women’s access to health care, equal pay, and domestic violence counseling,” said Elisa Cafferata, Director of Government Relations for Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “Even if he needed to do this press conference today in Las Vegas he could have still testified on his budget from the Grant Sawyer Building.”
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