Trump’s “Cesspool of Crime” Comments Hit a Nerve as Sheriff Lombardo Watches Crime Rates Rise for Over 70% of Population On His Watch

Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s loyalty to Donald Trump backfired big-time last Friday. As Lombardo sat mutely by, Trump used a Las Vegas rally to slam law enforcement failures and called Nevada a “cesspool of crime.” The problem? It’s Joe Lombardo who is in charge of fighting crime for over 70% of that “cesspool’s” population.

This isn’t the first time Lombardo has been taken to task by a fellow Republican over his failure to protect Clark County. In a debate, GOP opponent Joey Gilbert — who is refusing to concede to Lombardo— said, “we refer to him among us as ‘Sanctuary Joe’ for a reason,” and pointed to statistics showing a dramatic rise in crime under Lombardo’s tenure as sheriff.

To make matters worse, Lombardo is currently facing an ethics investigation and a lawsuit for using his law enforcement office for political gain.

Here’s what people are saying about the catastrophic rally:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Sebelius: “Ouch. Major political backfire at Friday rally as Donald Trump claims “Nevada is a cesspool of crime” as Sheriff Joe Lombardo — responsible for crime fighting in Nevada’s most populous county — and former AG Adam Laxalt sit nearby on stage.”

• The Nevada Independent’s John L. Smith: “Sheriff Joe Lombardo has only himself to blame for the position he was in Friday as former President Donald Trump called Las Vegas a cesspool of crime.”

• Nevada Current: “Trump calls Nevada and the nation ‘cesspool of crime’ as Lombardo, Laxalt look on.”

• Las Vegas Review-Journal: “He criticized ‘Democrat-led cities’ for the rise in crime nationally. That includes Las Vegas, despite the fact that Lombardo sat on the stage feet away from him.”

• The Nevada Independent: “Despite her focus on policing, [one rally attendee] was not pleased that Lombardo won the GOP nomination for governor. She said after working for the Las Vegas police department years ago, she personally disliked Lombardo and hoped that Joey Gilbert would have won because of his Christian faith and pro-police politics. Moody also said she did not like how Lombardo handled the Oct 1 shooting that took the lives of 58 people including a police officer.”

“Sheriff Lombardo may have hoped Donald Trump could boost his struggling campaign, but his undying loyalty completely backfired last Friday,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Even Trump admits that Lombardo’s lack of leadership is failing Nevadans.”

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