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DSCC Statement On Laxalt Using Right-Wing Political Connections To Line His Pockets With Millions In Corporate Cash

Nevada Independent: Between campaigns, Laxalt turned to lucrative private practice, right-wing litigation

American Independent: GOP Senate hopeful scrubs mentions of his ties to conservative law firm

In response to new reporting from the Nevada Independent revealing how Adam Laxalt leveraged his corporate, right-wing political connections to make millions following his unsuccessful 2018 campaign – and then attempted to hide his work for the firm –  Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Patrick Burgwinkle issued the following statement:

“When Laxalt wasn’t leading Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Nevada’s election, he was  lining his pockets with millions from his ultra-conservative backers and corporate special interests – all while pushing their agenda at Nevadans’ expense. It’s the latest in a series of scandals demonstrating that Laxalt is a corrupt politician who is only ever looking out for himself – and these damaging reports raise even more questions Laxalt will have to answer.”

Read more:

Nevada Independent: Between campaigns, Laxalt turned to lucrative private practice, right-wing litigation
By Riley Snyder
December 16, 2021

  • His personal financial disclosure filed on Monday shines more light on how Laxalt moved to a lucrative private practice after his defeat in 2018…Most notably, the disclosure gives a fuller view of Laxalt’s work for Cooper & Kirk.
  • According to his financial disclosure, Laxalt reported income of $2.2 million through the law firm as a “partnership distribution,” a direct payment from a partnership to an individual partner, with the payout taxed once it reaches the individual’s hands.
  • Through his financial disclosure, Laxalt also reported receiving income from 10 additional sources beyond Cooper & Kirk for providing “legal services.” His campaign did not respond to a request for comment as to whether those sources of income were related to his employment with the law firm.
  • Notably, Laxalt listed the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling as one of his sources of income. The lobbying group, which was founded and funded by the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, strongly opposes the expansion of online gambling.
  • Adelson was a major donor to Laxalt, who as attorney general in 2015 said he would sign on to a letter circulating among other state attorneys general in support of federal legislation to outright ban online gaming.
  • Laxalt also reported the following additional sources of income above $5,000, the reporting level required in the disclosure report…Starpoint Resort Group Inc., a timeshare company located in Las Vegas. The company contributed $30,000 to Laxalt’s gubernatorial campaign in 2018.

American Independent: GOP Senate hopeful scrubs mentions of his ties to conservative law firm.
By Josh Israel
December 20, 2021

Key points:

  • Republican Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt earned millions of dollars in 2020 as a partner at a prominent conservative law firm that has boasted of its victories suing the federal government. But since announcing his candidacy in August, he appears to have scrubbed any mention of the job from his social media and campaign website.
  • After his losing his 2018 Nevada gubernatorial bid, Laxalt, a former state attorney general, joined Cooper & Kirk, PLLC. In a tweet in March 2019, he said he would be “based in Reno with an office in Las Vegas and DC.”
  • Laxalt’s 2022 campaign biography initially said, “Today, Laxalt serves as a partner at Cooper & Kirk, PLLC and works and resides in Reno, Nevada with his wife, Jaime, their daughters Sophia and Isabella, their son Jack, and their dog, Buckley.” His Twitter bio identified him as a partner at the D.C.-based firm.
  • By Aug. 27, the campaign site no longer included any mention of the law firm, instead noting only that he “resides in Reno” with his family and pet. His Twitter profile also dropped any mention of Cooper & Kirk.
  • It is unclear whether he actually left the position. But the law firm’s own “about us” page, as of Monday, brags, “One of our partners, Adam P. Laxalt, recently served as Attorney General of the State of Nevada,” and his personal financial disclosure statement, filed on Dec. 13, indicates that the partner position was current at the time.
  • Its client list indicates a long record of opposing federal government action to protect the public and frequent work with controversial interest groups.

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