A new audio recording obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal appears to reveal Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt enlisting state staffers to address a media issue with the Democratic Party.
In November, the Nevada Democratic Party filed a public records request meant to determine whether politics played a role in Laxalt’s decision to oppose pardoning a man wrongfully convicted of murder.
The recording was made by a fellow passenger aboard a nonstop flight from Las Vegas to Reno on November 21.
In the recording, Laxalt calls a state staff member to help beat back a news story about the request, saying “fight this story as much as possible.”
For his political opponents, the recording raises concerns about the divide between Laxalt’s political efforts and his official duties.