Nebraska AG: Gov. Pillen's office 'not implicated in any criminal wrongdoing'

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Lincoln Police Department has completed its investigation into a $2.5 million economic development contract awarded without a competitive bidding process and turned over its evidence to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office.

The news came late Thursday. Before noon Friday, Hilgers issued a statement saying Gov. Jim Pillen’s office “was not implicated in any criminal wrongdoing” and that his staff would review the case in full.

Pillen then issued his own statement: “This was political from the start. I’m glad it’s behind us so we can focus on the issues that matter most to Nebraskans."

In an earlier interview with KMTV, Pillen defended the decision to award the contract.

Asked whether he would have made any different decisions, Pillen said, “We followed every letter of the law. We have several no-bid contracts.”

Nebraska Auditor Mike Foley investigated the contract and said the deal “smacked of favoritism.”

Foley spoke with 3 News Now's Jeremy Fredricks hours after the attorney general’s announcement.

“If every state agency followed the lead of the governor on how he issued this contract, then we would have total chaos,” Foley said.

The economic development contract was awarded on an emergency basis to Julie Bushell, president and CEO of Global Sustainability Developers LLC.

"Did they have a reason for this emergency for this $2.5 million?" Fredricks asked.

“Well, that’s a great question,” Foley said. “They checked the box, emergency, but then you’re supposed to fill out an explanation of emergency, and they left that blank.”

Pillen’s opponents in the governor’s race are now calling on Hilgers to release documents related to the investigation.

Democratic candidate Lynne Walz said in a statement: “If he won’t, it’s because there’s something in there that Jim Pillen and his friends don't want you to see.”

Brett Lindstrom criticized no-bid contracts in an earlier interview: “It’s a problem if you’re doing these no-bid contracts."

Hilgers is also facing criticism from Jocelyn Brasher, the Democrat running against him in the attorney general’s race.

“The timing and circumstances have all the appearances of a political stunt designed to clear the Governor's name before voters head to the polls,” Brasher said.

The announcement comes just days before Election Day.

In response to questions about the timing, the Lincoln Police Department said, “The only timeline we prioritized was the one required to conduct a detailed and responsible investigation.”

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