Jim Gibbons

Gibbons: Romance Disappears With Childbirth

Kate Klonick | June 30, 2008, 11:04AM

When Governor Jim Gibbons (R-NV) was photographed in a parking lot, arms around a female companion, his reply was that he was merely comforting a friend. "She was upset, crying," he told the Nevada Appeal, who published the pictures on Friday. "She couldn't catch her breath. I put my arms around her."

But earlier that same week, the Governor had given greater color to his relationship with the woman, a former Playboy model and ex-wife of a former Reno mayor, whose hand he held while she was giving birth. From the Las Vegas Sun:

"You know what, I've know Leslie for 20 plus years. In fact, Leslie is a wonderful dear friend and if they are implying there is anything romantic there, they are wrong.

"She is helping me get through a very troubling time in my life by being a friend. What troubles me is all these people speculating every time I bump into somebody that happens to be of the opposite sex. You can talk to Leslie, but I think she will tell you if (there's something that) takes the romance out of a friendship it's being there when her child is born. I held her hand when her child was born.

"That's how close a friend we are."

And now that the Governor has explained that nothing turns him off quite like childbirth, he'd like to get back to work, please:

Asked if this was romance, he replied, "Absolutely not."

"I put my arm around her shoulder. I was talking to her. I had to get close because I had to get over the noise of the crowd."

Asked about the photographs, he replied, "I think this is about my private life. I'm focusing on balancing the budget. I think this is such nonsense. The public wants to know what we're doing to preserve and protect the people of the state of Nevada."

Jim Gibbons

Today's Must Read

Kate Klonick | June 27, 2008, 9:41AM

Yes, the caption at left is correct. That's Governor Jim Gibbons (R-NV), in a warm embrace with a former Playboy model who is most definitely not his wife.

Last we heard in the Gibbons v. Gibbons fiasco, the governor and the First Lady had called a truce in their acrimonious divorce proceedings.

But since that joint statement, Gibbons has been implicated in other acts of philandering: hundreds of text messages to a female "friend" and affectionate outings with younger women-- the most recent of which was caught on film.

The Nevada Appeal this morning, published a series of pictures of Gibbons and a female companion at a rodeo in Reno.

Gibbons responded in a brief statement to the Appeal:

What it shows, according to the governor, is him comforting a stressed out friend. "She was upset, crying," he said during a quick hallway interview with our reporter, who'd been trying to get a comment from the governor or his staff for two days. "She couldn't get her breath. I put my arms around her."

So who is the mystery parking lot woman seeking solace on Gibbons' shoulder?

According to the Appeal:

[W]e did a little checking on our own and now know his companion to be the ex-Playboy-model, ex-wife of an ex-Reno mayor. She is not the woman with whom he has widely been accused of having an affair of late and with whom he exchanged hundreds of text messages at all hours. But he has been seen around Reno with this woman, too. In fact, there are cell phone pictures of the two together at a Reno restaurant posted on area blogs.

Just for some context, the Appeal's photo spread comes in the midst of a huge budget crisis in Nevada.

Jim Gibbons

OMG! Gov. Gibbons Sends 867 Texts to His Female BFF

Kate Klonick | June 11, 2008, 11:28AM

Just when we thought the Gibbons' saga was over, it all starts again.

Throughout his very messy and public divorce with his wife of 22 years, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons has repeatedly denied having an affair -- despite being seen cavorting around town with two married women half his age and a suspicious friendship he had struck up with Kathy Karrasch, a neighbor of the Gibbonses and the estranged wife of a Reno podiatrist.

But the Reno Gazette-Journal uncovered documents this week that reveal that in just 6 weeks the governor exchanged 867 personal text messages with Karrasch, making their relationship seem a little more than friendly:

With the intense volume of messages between March 3, 2007 and April 9, 2007, Gibbons wracked up $130 in cell phone charges for the state, which he promptly reimbursed when his chief of staff brought the personal messages to his attention. The text messages occurred throughout the day and night, on weekends and work days.

On one Friday, for example, Gibbons exchanged 160 text messages with Karrasch starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 11:45 p.m. On another night, Gibbons exchanged 91 messages between midnight and 2 a.m. with her.

The records also revealed 42 phone calls between Gibbons and Karrasch, mostly on the weekends and evenings. The records include two lengthy phone calls during working hours.

In a sensational motion filed two weeks ago by her attorney, Dawn Gibbons had attempted to unseal the couples' divorce proceeding, and accused her husband of having an "infatuation and involvement" with the unnamed woman who "for years stalked the man who could give her the public persona and prestige that apparently she craves."

On Monday of this week, the attorneys for Jim and Dawn Gibbons released a joint statement and stated that, "[t]he parties have agreed that there will be no further Public comment from either side while the parties attempt to resolve issues related to the divorce action."

Jim Gibbons

Dawn Gibbons Goes Dark

Kate Klonick | June 9, 2008, 4:59PM

As we previously reported, Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) has been going through a very messy divorce with the First Lady, Dawn Gibbons.

Two weeks ago, Dawn made not-so-veiled threats to implicate the governor in one or more scandals by opening their divorce proceedings to the public.

But in a joint statement released today from Gov. Gibbons and Dawn Gibbons' attorneys, it seems that the future-former First Lady has had a change of heart:

     JOINT STATEMENT BY COUNSEL
     (Gibbons Matter)

The Governor and The First Lady have entered into an agreement to suspend litigation activities in an attempt to resolve issues regarding the divorce action filed by the Governor. While they are in negotiations, no court documents will be filed.

     The First Lady has agreed to move to the guest house on the Mansion grounds and the Governor shall reside in the Mansion.

     The Governor and the First Lady will share the Public Areas of the Mansion for their respective Public Duties with their respective staff coordinating the scheduling with each other.

     The parties have agreed that there will be no further Public comment from either side while the parties attempt to resolve issues related to the divorce action.

     Dated June 9, 2008

     CALVIN R. X. DUNLAP      GARY SILVERMAN

Jim Gibbons

Nevada's Governor's Divorce Threatens Exposure

Kate Klonick | June 2, 2008, 6:40PM

After years of rumors of philandering with a neighbor and an alleged sexual assault of a 32-year-old woman in a parking garage, news of Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) divorce from his wife of 22 years does not come as a great surprise. But after the governor's attempt to evict the First Lady from the Governor's mansion and a lot of name-calling, estranged wife Dawn Gibbons is now making not-so-veiled threats to implicate the governor in one or more scandals.

So what incriminating information might she have? Quite a lot it turns out. Because Dawn Gibbons was closely involved in at least two of the scandals which have been dogging Gibbons for almost two years.

A few examples after the jump ...

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