A Democrat politician in Nevada is accused of fatally stabbing an investigative journalist last week over a series of stories on official misconduct that likely sank the incumbent-turned-defendant’s summer bid for re-election. The local press, however, found a way to pin the blame on former President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, police arrested 45-year-old Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles over the murder of veteran investigative reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal Jeff German, who was stabbed at his home last Friday.
A reporter present at a local press briefing with Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo Thursday sought to indict Trump for the crime.
“Sheriff, you said the murder of a journalist is especially troubling. Now is probably not the time to talk politics,” the unnamed female reporter began.
“So why are we talking politics?” Lombardo interrupted.
The reporter continued with her political question.
“Do you condemn former President Trump’s normalization of violence against journalists?” she asked.
“No, I think this [is] probably inappropriate to speculate on that or opine on that,” Lombardo said. “It needs to be stated and noted that it is troublesome because it is a journalist… When people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important that we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately.”
On Thursday, prosecutors revealed a treasure trove of DNA evidence that linked Telles to the stabbing. The county administrator’s arrest came after prosecutors matched shoes and a unique straw hat from neighborhood footage of the crime scene to the local politician. Matching DNA was also apparently found under the victim’s fingernails.
“The DNA is alleged to have been recovered from the hand of the victim, presumably during the time in which he was fighting for his life,” Justice of the Peace Elana Lee Graham said, according to CNN.
German, 69, had joined the Vegas Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun covering crime, corruption, and government. The longtime journalist was stabbed months after reporting on a hostile work environment in the county administrator’s office and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer. Telles denied the allegations but lost in the June Democrat primary for another term. In a lengthy online post after the election, Telles blamed German.
