Sheriff Lombardo Refuses to Denounce Conspiracy Theories That Federal and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Say Could Cause Violence

As federal and state law enforcement agencies raise the alarm that election conspiracy theories could cause violence and put people in danger, Sheriff Joe Lombardo continues to try and walk both sides of the line on the Big Lie.

“In Clark County, Lombardo’s presence on the ballot could make people think they won’t get in trouble for voter intimidation,” UNLV Political Science associate professor Rebecca Gill told the Nevada Current in an article about growing threats of voter intimidation and extremist violence in Nevada. “[Lombardo] hasn’t done enough to make it clear to MAGA folks that you shouldn’t intimidate people.”

Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and National Counterterrorism Center issued a bulletin warning: “Election-related perceptions of fraud and DVE [domestic violent extremism] reactions to divisive topics will likely drive sporadic DVE plotting of violence and broader efforts to justify violence in the lead up to and following the 2022 midterm election cycle.”

Another bulletin from the NYPD warned that in recent months far-right extremists — like those Lombardo has tried to appease throughout his campaign — “encouraged violence, intimidation tactics, and the sabotage of voting machines, if they believed they witnessed ‘fraud’ and ‘cheating’ at the polls.”

“Despite being tasked with keeping people safe, Joe Lombardo has refused to denounce and even embraced these dangerous election conspiracy theories,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Will Sheriff Lombardo condemn the Big Lie and risk losing the support of his far-right base and Donald Trump, or will he continue ignoring these warnings from the rest of the law enforcement community and put Nevadans in danger?”

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