Beers says he did not OK early solicitations

State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, said Friday that any solicitation of contributions on his behalf last month was done behind his back.

Responding to the report that the secretary of state is investigating e-mails sent by a political consultant during the period when legislators are prohibited from seeking contributions, Beers said the consultant was acting independently, not at his behest.

"My only involvement was to save the date of July 19," Beers said in a prepared statement distributed by a public relations firm. "I also asked that if invitations were to be sent out, it would not be until after July 6."

Under Nevada statute, legislators and other state officials can't ask for political donations until 30 days after the end of the legislative session, which was June 5.

The secretary of state has sent a letter to Beers asking about an e-mail sent from consultant Robert Uithoven to a lobbyist on June 25. In the e-mail, Uithoven asks whether the lobbyist wants to participate in a Beers fundraiser for $1,000.

The fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday.

"The law applies to legislators and not political consultants acting independently of a campaign," Beers said in his statement. "Even so, I am told now that the invitations were sent out on July 9."

A spokesman for the secretary of state's office said the letter of inquiry had been sent to Beers and no reply had yet been received Friday.

Uithoven said any responsibility should be laid on him. "Any mistake that was made, and I don't know that one was, was mine, not Senator Beers'," he said.