Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak arrives with his wife Kathy to deliver the State of the State address at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. In the background are the governors daughters Ashley Sisolak, left, and Carley Sisolak.
Monday, March 21, 2022 | 1:35 p.m.
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Gov. Steve Sisolak doesn’t want authorities to seek charges after he was threatened at a Las Vegas restaurant last month to avoid fueling “the anger and violence plaguing our nation and our state.”
Sisolak said he asked Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson not to pursue any prosecution that could arise from the incident.
“A trial, should it occur, would cause further coverage and provide this small minority of Nevadans more opportunity to spew their vile,” he said.
Sisolak and his wife, Kathy, were threatened by two men at a restaurant on Feb. 27, with one of them saying, “We should string you up on a lamp post. You are running into a patriot now.”
The men used foul language and insulted the first lady’s Chinese heritage. Sisolak’s adult daughter, Ashley, was also present.
Video of the encounter shows one of the men telling Sisolak, “I’m surprised you have the balls to be out here in public, punk, without a cop.”
Las Vegas resident Justin Andersch on his podcast “Cannabis and Combat” took credit for the threats and referenced the widely circulated video.
The Nevada State Police said they opened an investigation into the matter.
“As a husband, I’m outraged at the ethnic slurs and threats aimed at my wife. As a father, I cannot forget or forgive the vulgar and foul language hurled at my daughter,” Sisolak said in a statement today.
“However, as governor of this great state, I feel an obligation to avoid further fueling, and at worst, glorifying the anger and violence plaguing our nation and our state,” he said.
Sisolak said the statement would be his final comment about the incident.
