A politician in her own party breaks the law, lies about it, and Catherine Cortez Masto doesn’t think it’s a big deal — sound familiar? It applies to Hillary Clinton and a number of others throughout Cortez Masto’s career of political opportunism. Here’s one:
In 2011, Democratic Nevada Assemblyman Morse Arberry Jr. of Clark County was accused of funneling more than $120,000 in campaign donations into his personal bank account. As Nevada’s Attorney General, Cortez Masto cut a deal with her fellow Democrat Arberry. She dropped the six felony charges, which could have resulted in 27 years of prison time in exchange for Arberry pleading guilty to one misdemeanor charge and agreeing to pay restitution. Arberry, claiming destitution, has a $100-a-month restitution requirement, which means he has to pay it off before his 175th birthday.
Jon Ralston said Cortez Masto had a strong case against Arberry but let him off with a “wrist massage” and “sent a message to all elected officials that they need not worry if they decide to commit copycat crimes.” An unnamed Democrat’s take on the deal: “Horrific. Embarrassing for all of us.”
Ralston also noted Cortez Masto let Arberry “go virtually unpunished” but aggressively pursued a lesser offense against LG Brian Krolicki [R] in a case that was thrown out of court. Ralston: “The message here is atrocious: Different standards for politicians, different standards for Democrats, different standards for Nevada. In this state, we hunt innocent bears and kill them. Manifestly guilty political animals? We set them free.”
Las Vegas Review-Journal editors asserted that Cortez Masto dropped a solid case against Arberry, “Ms. Masto has established a dangerous precedent in her lenient treatment of Arberry.”
“Unfortunately for Nevadans, Catherine Cortez Masto has a long and well-documented history of interpreting justice based on party-affiliation – Hillary Clinton is only the latest example,” said Dr. Joe Heck for U.S. Senate spokesperson Brian Baluta. “And like Clinton, Cortez Masto thinks she deserves a promotion. Nevadans think otherwise.”
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