CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt says legal advice he gave the state's top gaming regulator would ultimately not have benefited a political donor, as Democratic lawmakers claim.
The Republican official is defending his 2016 request that Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett intervene in a lawsuit involving GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.
Laxalt said at a Wednesday legislative hearing that Las Vegas Sands Corp. asked the state to file several legal opinions in the case, which cumulatively could have benefited Adelson.
But Laxalt was interested in pursuing only one of those angles, which favored the confidentiality of casino documents turned over to the gaming board.
Laxalt argues intervening in that way would not have benefited Adelson.
Democrats say a surreptitious recording shows Laxalt inappropriately pressured Burnett on behalf of Adelson after meeting with the casino magnate and his representatives.