John Locher/AP
Nevada Republican Senate hopeful Sam Brown, a retired Army captain and Purple Heart recipient, stands in a campaign office Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 | 2 a.m.
A recently filed amended financial disclosure report from Nevada Republican Senate hopeful Sam Brown now includes his involvement with a pro-life nonprofit. But the candidate now finds himself the focus of a complaint over use of funds from a political action committee he formed in 2022.
The Sun reported last month that Brown failed to disclose his role as chairman of the Nevada Faith and Freedom Coalition’s executive board, a role he accepted in November 2022, in papers that must be filed under U.S. Senate rules for candidates seeking election to the chamber.
A spokesperson for Brown’s campaign told the Sun prior to its Oct. 8 story that the retired U.S. Army captain hadn’t been with the Nevada Faith and Freedom Coalition since May, “well before his campaign launch.” But the recent amended filing, dated Oct. 18, lists Brown as the organization’s director from October 2022 to October 2023.
The new disclosure form also lists two other companies that were previously not on Brown’s initial form: Sierra Palisade LLC, which Brown formed last August, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office, as well as TBSA 30, a Texas-based company Brown founded in 2012 that helps burn victims.
“Nevadans see right through these desperate attempts by Jacky Rosen and her DC operatives to smear Sam Brown over some paperwork,” Brown’s campaign manager, Faith Jones, said in a statement.
KTVN-TV in Reno first reported Brown’s failure to disclose TBS 30 on Oct. 18 — the same date Brown’s campaign filed the amended disclosure form.
Senate rules, which are independent of requirements set by the Federal Election Commission, mandate a candidate “must report all compensated and uncompensated positions” held at any time during the preceding two calendar years through the date of filing.
Brown filed his candidacy July 10 and submitted his first personal financial disclosure (PFD) report Sept. 6, according to Senate records.
Candidates are not required to report positions held in any religious, social, fraternal or political entity, nor any positions held solely of an honorary nature. The Nevada Faith & Freedom Coalition doesn’t fall into any of these categories.
Brown was still featured prominently on the Nevada Faith & Freedom Coalition’s website, both on its homepage and its “about” section until shortly after the Sun reached out to Brown’s campaign in early October. The only press release under the website’s “news” tab is a Nov. 20, 2022, piece announcing Brown as the organization’s chairman.
But within days of the Sun reaching out to Brown’s campaign, the website’s homepage was changed to feature a quote from late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., and the “about” section also removed mention of Brown.
Brown also is in hot water with the political action group End Citizens United, which on Thursday announced it had filed a complaint with the FEC against Brown. End Citizens United alleges Brown“illegitimately” used his Duty First PAC — which he said was formed to help elect Nevada Republicans to Congress — to retire debt from hisfailed 2022 Senate run.
CNN reported in August that fewer than 2% of Duty First’s funds went toward candidates, and that approximately $55,000 of a $91,500 fund was used to repay said campaign debt. End Citizens United alleges Duty First appeared to have raised funds without disclosing to donors the funds would go toward debt retirement, which they contend is an FEC violation, among other violations.
“Sam Brown’s scheme represents a new frontier of misleading donors and taking advantage of higher contribution limits for his own self-benefit,” End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in a release announcing the complaint. “This malicious misuse of his PAC is unprecedented and, if left unchecked, would set a dangerous precedent increasing the power of ultra-wealthy donors. We strongly urge the FEC to investigate this corruption and hold Brown accountable.”
A poll released last week by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and conducted by the Tarrance Group shows Rosen leading Brown by roughly 5 percentage points. The poll, which asked 600 likely voters from Oct. 23 to 26 whom they would vote for, showed Rosen receiving 45% to Brown’s 40% with another 10% undecided and 5% voting “other.” The poll’s margin of error was +/- 4.1%.
The poll, however, also showed Brown with a large lead among other contenders running in the GOP primary.
That same poll found Brown being favored by 24% of respondents, compared with 9% received by former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant, 5% received by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tony Grady, and 1% for Jeff Gunter, the former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland under former President Donald Trump.
Brown, whose campaign said in a release Friday he was visiting the southern border to meet with law enforcement, national security experts and community activists, finished second to former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the 2022 Republican Senate primary. Laxalt was defeated in the general election by incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Brown has never been elected to public office but has earned the backing of the NRSC during this election cycle.
Brown, who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan that scarred his face, has also been criticized by opponents over how he used funds from his political action committee to pay down past campaign debts.
