(Picture credit State of Nebraska)
State Senator Kathleen Kauth is looking to press charges against State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh’s office staff following what Kauth said was a case of office vandalism. According to Kauth, her office was transitioning to a new office when her staff witnessed Cavanaugh’s legislative and administrative assistants tearing down “Stand With Women” posters that were meant to be packed up and moved to the new office.
The posters were allegedly torn down, crumpled, and thrown in the trash.
The kerfuffle came as Cavanaugh was set to move into Kauth’s old office space on the second floor of the Capitol. Kauth said her team had not finished packing up the office when the incident occurred. She told The Plains Sentinel she is looking to have charges pressed against Cavanaugh’s staff.
“Vandalism like this is beneath both the Senator and the staff and reflects very badly on the Legislature. If a random citizen were to take these actions they would be charged,” Kauth said. “Working in the Legislature is an honor and a responsibility. Those who do must be held to the highest standards of behavior and accountability.”
Cavanaugh did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the story. Kauth said Cavanaugh’s office initially claimed they tore down the posters because they believed Kauth had already packed everything up and “the materials looked abandoned.” Later, the claim changed to stating that the posters were removed carefully.
(Picture credit Senator Kauth’s office)
Kauth said she has informed Cavanaugh and her staff that she intends to press charges and had contacted the State Patrol.
In a statement to The Plains Sentinel, the Nebraska State Patrol said they planned to pass along a report regarding the incident to the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office.
“The Nebraska State Patrol took a report from Senator Kauth’s staff regarding posters that were left behind during the transition of offices. Senator Cavanaugh’s staff took possession of the office and the posters were destroyed,” the spokesperson said. “NSP has compiled a report and will deliver the report to the Lancaster County Attorney. No citations have been issued.”
The Plains Sentinel has reached out to the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office for comment.
Second Cavanaugh Vandalism Controversy
The accusations against Cavanaugh’s office marks the second vandalism controversy for her this year. In January, the senator caused a stir when she tore down displays in the halls of the State Capitol building meant to celebrate the America’s 250th anniversary. The news broke when Governor Jim Pillen tweeted out security camera footage of the act.
“As many Nebraskans and officials in the Capitol have expressed, if a private citizen had engaged in similar conduct, there would be a consequence for such misconduct,” Pillen said of the incident. “My team and I have carefully consulted with law enforcement and members of the Legislature, and I have concluded this warrants a criminal investigation by law enforcement.”
Cavanaugh told the Nebraska Examiner at the time she took down the displays because they broke Capitol rules of putting “objects” on hallway walls.
“I have always been a stickler for the rules … so I removed the prohibited objects,” Cavanaugh said.
Law enforcement eventually declined to pursue charges against Cavanaugh, but the Legislature’s Executive Board issued a formal condemnation of the act. “This behavior reflects poorly upon the entire Nebraska Legislature and, with its selfish nature, detracted from the session’s start when the focus should have been on promoting public policy and the needs of Nebraskans,” the Executive Board said in a letter.
State Senator Ben Hansen, who chairs the Legislature’s Executive Board, declined to comment on the latest accusation of vandalism.
Cavanaugh, Kauth Butt Heads
Cavanaugh and Kauth have long had a contentious relationship as Kauth has pushed legislation to limit gender transition services for minors and ban biological males from female sports and spaces. Cavanaugh has led the charge in opposition to those bills.
During the 2023 legislative session, Cavanaugh led a weeks-long filibuster against bills in the Unicameral to protest Kauth’s “Let Them Grow Act,” which banned transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors.
Cavanaugh described the bill at the time as “genocide.” “I want a record for the history of this genocide, for those who stood by it, for those who had an opportunity to change the course of history,” she said during debate on the Unicameral floor. “I want a record. I want the bloody hands recorded. This is a genocide.”
Kauth responded to criticism by Cavanaugh at the time, saying she was leading a “a self-serving and childish filibuster.”
The next year when Kauth introduced a bill banning biological males from female sports, locker rooms, and restrooms, Cavanaugh said Kauth was attempting to “eliminate transgendered people from this state.”
Cavanaugh is term limited and leaves office at the beginning of 2027 while Kauth’s term runs until the beginning of 2029.
— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.