EDITORIAL: Nevada Legislature should make public the Manendo report

Another day, another notable entertainer or politician accused of inappropriate behavior in years past. The routine is becoming distressingly familiar.

This time, it’s Al Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” star who now represents Minnesota as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate. On Thursday, a Los Angeles radio personality came forward to accuse Sen. Franken of forcibly kissing and groping her while the two were on a USO tour 11 years ago. She even posted a photo of the comedian-turned-politician smiling to the camera as he appears to touch her chest while she sleeps.

Sen. Franken issued an apology, and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that a bipartisan ethics panel should “fully investigate this troubling incident, as they should with any credible allegation of sexual harassment.” If the past month is any indication, that panel will be quite busy moving forward.

Given the intensified awareness regarding sexual harassment and misconduct, the result of any probe into the behavior of Sen. Franken or other members of Congress will no doubt be available for public scrutiny, as it should be.

Perhaps that will provide a lesson to Nevada’s legislative Democrats, who continue to sit on a taxpayer-funded report regarding harassment charges against one of their own.

The case involves state Sen. Mark Manendo, a Las Vegas Democrat who had served in Carson City since 1994 before resigning in July. During the 2017 session, allegations surfaced regarding his conduct, and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, hired an outside law firm to look into the matter.

This was not the first time Mr. Manendo’s activities had garnered attention. Back in 2003, two interns accused him of making unwanted advances and suggestive comments when he sat in the state Assembly.

In the end, the probe uncovered more than a dozen instances of sexual misbehavior by Mr. Manendo during the 2017 session. He was stripped of a committee chair, and Sen. Ford criticized his actions during a speech on the Senate floor as the Legislature came to a close. Mr. Manendo eventually resigned.

But Sen. Ford refused to release the full results of the investigation. And in July, the Legislative Counsel Bureau — which offers legal advice to the Legislature — came to his rescue with a fig leaf, a laughable opinion which held, among other things, that the document could remain locked away because the Legislature was not a “governmental entity” under the state public records law. So taxpayers forced to cover the $70,000 cost of an inquiry into the behavior of an elected state lawmaker have been denied access to its findings and conclusions.

This was preposterous then, and it remains so today — particularly in light of current events.

As we’ve seen through the almost daily news reports, shining a light on the issue of improper sexual conduct has proven a potent disinfectant and agent of change. Secrecy, on the other hand, serves only to protect the predators and to nourish the climate in which they flourish.

Sen. Ford is the likely Democratic nominee for state attorney general. He should move to release the Manendo report or risk losing his credibility when it comes to voicing concern for the victims of sexual harassment or misconduct.