Will NYT’s Adelson editorial faze Romney-Ryan?

Multibillionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, whose Las Vegas Sands is as controversial as it is profitable these days, took a thumping in a Thursday editorial in The New York Times, which called on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan to distance themselves from their generous contributor.

Fat chance.

They’ve done everything but wear “Sheldon Forever” T-shirts. Adelson has vowed to spend as much as $100 million to oust President Barack Obama, and as one of the world’s wealthiest men he’s capable of cutting such a check.

The company denies any wrongdoing associated with the ongoing bribery and money laundering investigations, but as increasingly damaging reports are published it’s becoming clearer that Adelson can only raise the table stakes and bet the house on the Romney-Ryan ticket. It’s not as if the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are going away soon. And now Reuters has reported that the state Gaming Control Board is “investigating” the issues that haunt Las Vegas Sands and its master.

The Times: “Three days after Paul Ryan became the presumptive Republican vice presidential candidate, he made a pilgrimage Tuesday to the Las Vegas gambling palace of Sheldon Adelson, the casino tycoon who is spending more than any other donor to try to send Mr. Ryan and Mitt Romney to the White House. No reporters were allowed, perhaps because the campaign didn’t want them asking uncomfortable questions about the multiple federal investigations into the company behind Mr. Adelson’s wealth.”

Don’t expect Romney-Ryan and related super PACs to return Adelson’s checks, and don’t be surprised if those T-shirts soon turn up at a rally near you.