#NVSen Factcheck: D.C. Labor Bosses Attack Heller

(Las Vegas, NV) –Washington D.C. labor bosses from AFSCME are up with a new ad that grossly distorts Dean Heller’s record.  In fact, seven-term Congresswoman Shelley Berkley is the only candidate in this race that has repeatedly voted to protect Wall Street and has insisted on policies that are hurting Nevada’s middle class.

The Facts:

Claim: “Dean Heller was a stock broker.”

• Fact: Dean Heller has not been a stockbroker since 1989. He worked as a stockbroker during college and after graduation.  

Claim: “Now Wall Street funds Heller’s campaigns.”

• Fact: Shelley Berkley has received more funds from Wall Street in this cycle than Dean Heller. (www.opensecrets.org, accessed 9/5/12)

Claim: “Congressman Heller sided with Wall Street.”

• Fact: Shelley Berkley sided with Wall Street to send $700 billion in taxpayers’ dollars to bailout Wall Street.  Dean Heller was the only member of the Nevada delegation to vote against it. (Lisa Mascaro, “Heller only Nevada legislator to vote against $700 billion bailout; Says more oversight needed on bill,” Las Vegas Sun, October 8, 2008)

Claim: “Dean Heller plays politics, he cares about money, not about us.”

• Fact: Shelley Berkley is currently the 35^th richest Member of Congress. (Kevin Bogardus, Megan R. Wilson, “The Hill’s 50 Wealthiest lawmakers,” The Hill, August 21, 2012)

Fact: Shelley Berkley’s 2010 Personal Financial Disclosure shows she is among the top one percent wealthiest Americans.  (www.opensecrets.org, accessed 9/5/2012) 

• Fact: In July 2012, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee unanimously decided to open an investigation to determine whether Shelley Berkley used her elected office for personal gain. They opened an investigation based on a report from the non-partisan Office of Congressional Ethics for the first time since 2009.
• Fact: Shelley Berkley voted to send money to Wall Street and Detroit just when Nevada was entering one of the worst recessions in history.  She voted for the trillion dollar stimulus and she supports ObamaCare, which is destroying jobs for small businesses and Nevada’s middle class.
• Fact: Dean Heller has zero dollars invested in stocks. Shelley Berkley’s 2010 Personal Financial Disclosure form shows Shelley Berkley and her husband have over $1,000,000 invested in the stock market. (www.opensecrets.org, accessed 9/5/2012) 

Claim: “Shelley Berkley works to help Nevada homeowners that are struggling.”

• Fact: Dean Heller has introduced three bills to help Nevada homeowners in the past year alone, but Shelley Berkley has yet to offer her own ideas for how to help Nevadans stay in their homes.

Claim: “She voted to clean up abuses on Wall Street.”

• Fact: Dean Heller voted against Dodd-Frank bill, legislation masked as “Wall Street reform.” This bill would institutionalize bailouts, harm job growth, and create new taxes by intrusive and unaccountable government agencies and offices. (Paul Sperry, “Dodd-Frank Rules Will Crush Employment,” Investor’s Business Daily, December 13, 2011)