News of FBI probe hits along party lines

Steve Kanigher and Cy Ryan

Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

The man who preceded Gov. Jim Gibbons in office said Thursday that if he were still governor, he would be greatly distracted by an FBI investigation into his conduct as a public official.

"I wouldn't want to be in his position, and I'm sure he would prefer not to be in this position," former Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn said. "It would take a toll on you, especially if it's not handled quickly. If it's prolonged, it's even more difficult."

Guinn, however, was the only Republican who expressed concern about the investigation. Other opinions split along party lines.

Republicans said they did not find much merit in the allegations or reason for concern about the investigation.

Former Republican Gov. Robert List, who was co-chairman of Gibbons' transition team, said he thinks Gibbons' background as a former fighter pilot in Vietnam and the Gulf War will help the current governor stay focused on his job.

List recalled that Gibbons stayed on point in the final weeks of his election campaign last fall despite a barrage of negative publicity. That included an assault allegation from a Las Vegas woman, revelations about the questionable immigration status of a house maid formerly employed by Gibbons, and a story in The Wall Street Journal reporting that Gibbons helped a friend, Warren Trepp of Lake Tahoe, secure government funding for defense contracts in exchange for gifts or payments.

"There was all this ruckus around him and yet he stayed focused," List said. "He's cool under fire. I don't think this will be much of a distraction for him.

"I consider him a very honorable guy."

List doesn't think much of The Wall Street Journal stories, which said that Trepp was being sued by a former business partner.

"He's trying to make Trepp look bad and in the process he's trying to make the governor look bad," List said of the business partner, Dennis Montgomery.

And while List said a governor could become distracted by the federal investigation, the distraction would be stronger if the investigation involved state agencies. "This doesn't involve state government at all."

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, who lost to Gibbons in November, offered a different view.

"You always have to take something like that seriously," Titus said. "You always worry about the state's reputation. There is increased cynicism by the public."

Titus called the investigation a "diversion for the administration that keeps them from getting their ducks in a row, their budget requests and policy questions."

Fellow Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said he thought the federal investigation would hurt Gibbons' legislative agenda.

Schneider expressed particular concern about e-mails exchanged among Trepp, Gibbons and others that may have indicated a cozy relationship.

"From what I've seen and what I've heard about the e-mail about the money, maybe you forget when you ride on his airplane or his boat and you forget or didn't understand the rules," Schneider said. "But taking the cash, you understand the rules on that."

Like List, Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said the new developments appear to be simply a continuation of the original reports. Raggio said he "would not expect it to have any impact on the governor's legislative program."

Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, said the story "sounds out of character" for Gibbons. Hardy is taking a wait-and-see approach, but he said he did not believe the governor's effectiveness will diminish unless the allegations are substantiated.