State Senator Says It’s ‘Disconcerting’ Governor Was Able to Leak Capitol Security Footage Following PragerU Incident
by John Gage
State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh said she found it “disconcerting” that Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen was able to post footage from the Nebraska State Capitol building the same day that she tore down a display put up by conservative nonprofit PragerU.
“I have an ongoing concern from the incident that I think everyone recalls from the first day of session,” Cavanaugh said Tuesday night during debate on the legislative floor. “There was security footage leaked on the governor’s social media platforms on the same day that the security footage was taken. And I have asked the lieutenant, or the colonel, of the state patrol to tell me how that happened.”
Cavanaugh said she was still waiting to hear back from the state patrol on how the footage got out. “It should be disconcerting to everyone to have security footage in this building so easily leaked on public platforms,” she said. “And we should put stronger guardrails on that to make sure that does not happen.”
The progressive state senator had initially come under fire after Governor Jim Pillen posted a video on Twitter of her tearing down part of the PragerU Founders Museum display.
“As surveillance footage and observer pictures show, Senator Cavanaugh ripped down several of the state’s America 250 displays showcasing prominent figures and events throughout our Nation’s history and then stashed them in her office,” Pillen said in his post with the video footage. “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.”
Law enforcement declined to take action against Cavanaugh, but the Legislature’s Executive Board issued a formal letter in February condemning the state senator for her actions.
“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 the letter.
The Plains Sentinel has reached out to the Nebraska State Patrol and Governor Jim Pillen’s office for comment on the story.
John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.
