‘I give up,’ political maverick declares

CARSON CITY -- Christopher Hansen, who chaired the Independent American Party of Nevada during its period of greatest growth, has resigned from his party and dropped out of politics.

"I give up," said a bitter Hansen, who for four years chaired the party that takes anti-tax, anti-Internal Revenue Service and other positions outside of the political mainstream. "They hurt me. They demoralized me. There is no hope for third parties. Why be involved?"

He no longer is even registered to vote, and blames the Metropolitan Police Department and the state attorney general's office for hurting and demoralizing him.

Hansen has been sued by the attorney general's office for failing to submit completed financial disclosure statements and campaign contribution reports, even though he says he received hardly any contributions.

"They are suing me for $15,000 on a campaign that I collected less than $100," said Hansen, formerly a contractor and construction worker.

Edie Cartwright, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said the Campaign Practice Act must be enforced, regardless of the amount of the violation.

"We don't have the option of carving out exceptions and not pursuing violations based on amount of contribution or any other variable," Cartwright said.

"We can't pick and choose who we decide to enforce this law against, and we don't make arbitrary decisions based on resources when we will or won't act on behalf of the electorate."

At the same time, Hansen has filed a lawsuit against the Police Department, which he said injured him during an arrest two years ago.

Hansen said he called police to his home after a neighbor's pit bull dog attacked him and his wife in their backyard. He said he told police that he had an old injury that prevented them from handcuffing him.

Nonetheless, he said they handcuffed him and tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder. Police did not even impound the dog, he said.

A police spokeswoman only would confirm that the lawsuit has been filed. She would give no other details.

But another source said Hansen had a rifle when police arrived at his home and that an argument ensued that led to his arrest.

The Independent American Party was founded in 1966 by Hansen's brother, the late Daniel Hansen. His sister, Janine, and brother, Joel, remain active in the party.

Janine Hansen, the party's national committeewoman, said Independent American members are not conservatives or libertarians, but more like a hybrid of the two. They take a pro-family, anti-abortion position on social issues and anti-tax, limited government positions on others.

No other state has an Independent American Party, but the Nevada party is part of the National Constitution Party.

Under Christopher Hansen's eight years of leadership, the Independent American Party increased its membership to nearly 38,000, up from 17,000, when he was replaced by Mark Andrews as chairman last year.

IAP is the third largest political party in Nevada, but nearly four times more people are registered as "nonpartisan."

Christopher Hansen readily admits some people might have joined the party because they merely considered it as "independent." In Nevada, people who are not affiliated with any party don't register as independent, but rather as nonpartisan.

Fred Lokken, a political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, said he can understand Hansen's bitterness about politics.

"Third parties have had no influence in Nevada politics for a long time," Lokken said. "They have not garnered much support. The Republicans and Democrats seem to speak for most voters."

But Independent American candidate Jackie Berg did win the election for Eureka County clerk-treasurer in 2006.

Hansen, 54, ran unsuccessfully for governor, secretary of state, the Assembly and Congress.

He refused to submit financial disclosure statements and campaign contribution reports as required by state law, contending they violated his free speech and other constitutional rights. He said information about his campaign donors would be used by his opponents to retaliate against them.

Hansen is the founder of the First Christian Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty, a group of 650 people that challenges state laws. Its objective is "to demand and defend their God given rights and fulfill their duties as freedom loving Christians against the encroachment of the Beast and his agents."

The Beast is the federal government.

Three years ago, Hansen launched an unsuccessful Axe The Tax petition drive to repeal tax increases during which his appearances at public locations led to confrontations with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and local officials.

He ultimately scored a victory when the secretary of state ordered agencies to provide space for petition gatherers.

Noting that Republican legislators joined Democrats in the last few weeks in overriding 25 of Gov. Jim Gibbons' 48 vetoes, Hansen said Nevada and the nation are left with one political party, the "Republicrats."

Moves by his party and other groups to change state laws through petitions are useless, he said, because every petition ends up challenged in court and it takes $1 million to put one on the ballot.

He isn't just angry at Nevada's political establishment. Hansen believes President Barack Obama should have prosecuted then President George W. Bush for getting the nation involved in the Iraq war by citing weapons of mass destruction that Iraq did not have.

"He won't do it. It's the same party," Hansen said. "Our only hope is a complete economic collapse so all the deadwood cannot get a check anymore. America has to go down the tubes so people will wake up."

In particular, Hansen is displeased with Deputy Attorney General Clark Leslie, the official who is suing him on behalf of the secretary of state.

Matt Griffin, deputy secretary of state, said Hansen turned in blank campaign contribution reports in 2006 and filed incomplete financial disclosure statements. The three charges by law each carry a $5,000 fine, according to Griffin.

Instead of filling in the financial disclosure statements, he wrote essays on the meaning of the dollar and the history of silver and the monetary system.

He also extensively used Roman numerals, which he said was authorized by then Secretary of State Dean Heller, and noted there is no zero in that system so he could not fill out the reports.

Hansen also said his religious beliefs prevent him from signing a form that states he has to "affirm" the information is correct. Under his faith, he has to "solemnly swear" the information is accurate.

Hansen is a Mormon. A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City said there is no church prohibition against affirming statements.

"I've had fun with it," said Hansen about his challenges to state laws he deems unnecessary and unconstitutional.

But Hansen said he is adamant that a free man must challenge what he sees as the wrongs of government.

Griffin said his office turned over the Hansen case to the attorney general's office for possible prosecution on civil charges. The decision to prosecute rests with that office, he said.

"The intent of the laws is transparency," Griffin said. "It informs people about who candidates are and who are their contributors."

Hansen contends Leslie, in preparing the case against him, even called his doctor. He and the deputy also argued for hours on the phone about religion, according to Hansen.

Cartwright said Leslie checked with Hansen's doctor because the IAP chairman had contended his medical condition necessitated a delay in the case.

"Mr. Leslie checked to confirm this representation of Mr. Hansen's condition and subsequently opposed Mr. Hansen's effort to delay the case further," she said.

Leslie did discuss religion with him, but only because Hansen "made religion part of his defense" on why he cannot affirm statements," Cartwright said.

As it is now, Hansen has no job and little money to pay any kind of fine.

"I am still very passionate, but I am exhausted."

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.