Divine doubt…
Picon ponders, is Jason Guinasso supporting appointee Clara Andriola because they were both sanctioned by the Grand Old Party? Picon had forgotten that Guinasso and others drew the ire of the State GOP for their alleged support of Aaron Ford for Attorney General. Picon said “alleged” because we are keenly aware that Mr. Guinasso has a law license and we don’t.
Last November, Guinasso found himself in the media spotlight over a Nevada Bar complaint, stemming from claims in the complaint that he was conflicted with his prior representation of the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID). In the article, it claimed he was now representing a committee of IVGID, in what the complaint detailed as an alleged conflict.
Guinasso, the managing partner at Hutchison and Steffen law firm in Reno, used to partner with Reno councilman Devon Reece at Reese, Kintz and Guinasso. Both are former candidates for state office, with Devon being appointed and elected as the at-large city councilman. The political arena seems to suit them as well as a courtroom, and to that, we tip our hats.
Picon would be remiss if we did not point out some oddities with his gushing endorsement of Clara Andriola. Now, to be fair, we do not know the genesis of their acquaintance, nonetheless, Mr. Guinasso seems resolute in his support for the appointee. Our first question is directed at the service provided to fired Sparks Fire Chief Mark Lawson. Mr. Guinasso was the attorney for Mr. Lawson, battling the city to win his client $381,000 in a settlement following now-fired manager Neil Krutz’s YouTube video release prior to Lawson being charged with any crimes. Mr. Lawson decided to run against Clara several months ago, placing Guinasso in the position of serving Mark Lawson while supporting his opponent, Andriola.
The second oddity is Mrs. Andriola’s support of Donald Trump. Now, Picon has an idea as to why she is supporting The Donald, we will leave that for a later time. What is important is that Guinasso is no fan of Trump, going as far as to say, “Trump has done substantial damage to the office of the presidency, the nation, the Republican Party….” In fact, Guinasso, a pastor himself, dedicated nearly 2700 words bashing Trump and party loyalists and fellow attorneys, Joey Gilbert and Sigal Chattah. Picon wonders how Gilbert took to being referred to as “Exhibit A” in Guinasso’s piece. Afterall, Republican party members found themselves staring down a defamation lawsuit for comments they allegedly made about Guinasso. What is the old saying about a speck in your brother’s eye?
Guinasso went deep on character in the article and with an adherence to being true to one's self, despite overwhelming support for Trump among his potential constituents, members of the GOP and church-going associates. He essentially penned a justification for his dislike of Trump as a person, a politician and a Christian. “If time permitted, I could cite at least 1,000 destructive Trump statements and actions that are not consistent with our country’s shared ideals and values,” said Guinasso.
Given all that, Picon would kindly ask Mr. Guinasso, ‘how can you endorse Clara Andriola when you know she has endorsed Donald Trump?’ Trump does not need Clara’s platitudes, her district is heavily Republican and Spanish Springs includes the deepest red precincts in Washoe County. Sounds more like Clara needs to be a Trump supporter if to win Spanish Springs constituents. So, if you spend the time author a 2,700 word hate letter about Trump, you certainly could not bring yourself to endorse a political figure who endorsed the “con-man”, could you?
Picon would urge readers to review the article at the Nevada Independent, as Guinasso admits, “I think I was the only Republican candidate for public office in Nevada to publicly oppose Trump in that election cycle,” referring to his own 2016 failed run for assembly. After you read that article, digest his deeply held beliefs about Trump and ask yourself, how could a principled and character-based pastor endorse a candidate who endorses Trump?
Forgive our cynicism, was it not the Book of Matthew that taught us one cannot serve both God and money, what was that payout for Mr. Guinasso on the Lawson matter? Lastly, Picon would pose this, is it Christlike to yolk oneself to the antithesis of a good and moral person? And if it is not, then explain what fellowship the light could ever have with darkness. If you figure that out, then politics is easy.
Photo credit of Jason Guinasso: from SierraSun.com 2016