Clark County commissioner should resign, Nevada GOP says
The Nevada Republican Party is calling on Democratic Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones to resign following a judge’s ruling that Jones was not truthful about deleting important text messages as part of a long-running legal dispute.
“Another day, another Democrat corruption scandal coming to light,” the Nevada Republican Party said in a statement Tuesday. “It is unacceptable that Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones deliberately destroyed evidence in an attempt to hide his corrupt actions from the court and from Nevada taxpayers.”
It's time for @JustinJonesNV to resign. Deliberate destruction of evidence, blatant corruption, and no concern for the truth.
Let's end partisan cronyism and political corruption in Nevada - resign and disbar Justin Jones.
Our statement here: https://t.co/z0hFxc2eSK pic.twitter.com/LEclWVbxcZ
— Nevada GOP (@NVGOP) April 25, 2023
Federal Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah in the ruling concluded that Jones had intentionally deleted text messages from his cell phone pertaining to efforts to halt a residential development atop Blue Diamond Hill, near Red Rock Canyon. Developer Jim Rhodes has been trying to build homes on the ridge for years, although development has been stalled by disputes with the county and conservationists opposed to the plan.
The state GOP called on Attorney General Aaron Ford and Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson to investigate Jones, although those agencies don’t generally get involved in civil lawsuits. The party also called for the State Bar of Nevada to investigate; Youchah declined to refer Jones for discipline to the Bar, but said attorneys for Rhodes could do so.
The party also said that laws around government transparency need to be strengthened and penalties should be codified.
“The residents of Commission District F deserve real representation, not someone more concerned with dodging the law than representing their district,” the party said in the statement.
But residents of the district did have that opportunity in November, when Jones faced an unusually tough election against Republican Drew Johnson, who led in ballots immediately after Election Day but ultimately lost the election after mail ballots were counted. The final tally saw Jones win by just 336 votes out of more than 107,000 cast.
Jones declined to comment Tuesday but pointed the Review-Journal to his previous statement that said he would not discuss the matter while the litigation is pending.
“I continue to remain focused on serving the needs of my constituents and working to make Clark County a better place to live, work and raise a family,” he said via text.
Bradley Schrager, a local political law attorney who represents Democrats, said in a text that this is a civil matter being handled by judges who are weighing the evidence appropriately.
“It’s pretty rich, however, to read the statements of state and county GOP officials who tried to usurp the Electoral College process and whom have lied endlessly about Nevada elections for years,” he said. “The bell will toll for them as well, before too long.”
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Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.
