OMAHA. NE. — Democratic candidate for governor Lynne Walz and Democratic attorney general candidate Jocelyn Brasher are weighing in after the Lincoln Police Department completed its investigation into a $2.5 million no-bid contract and handed off the evidence to Attorney General Mike Hilgers.
The Lincoln Police Department announced it had completed that investigation into Gov. Jim Pillen's office on Thursday.
On Friday, Hilgers said that police found Pillen's office "was not implicated in any criminal wrongdoing."
In a previous interview with KMTV, Pillen defended his decision when asked by anchor Mary Nelson whether he would have made any different decisions along the course of that situation.
"We, we followed every letter of the law," Pillen said. "We have several no-bid contracts."
Walz addressed the news at a campaign stop in central Omaha.
"He should have never been in that position as a leader to begin with," Walz said. "(People) want a governor who is honest, who is transparent (and) who they can trust. Having yourself in a position like that is just nothing to be bragging about."
KMTV reached out to Pillen for comment beyond his initial statement but did not hear back.
With the news coming just five days before Election Day, Brasher says that is no coincidence.
"Just days before the election — but with no answer (or) no explanation," Brasher said. "The citizens of this state have been made to wait months."
Brasher says many questions remain.
"What evidence was used to finish this investigation?" Brasher said. "What charges, if any, were recommended?"
In his initial statement, Pillen called the investigation politically motivated.
State Auditor Mike Foley, a Republican, originally investigated the contracts, something Brasher made a note of in her refutation of Pillen's statement.
"I don't see how this can be politically motivated when our state auditor is also a Republican," Brasher said.
KMTV reached out to Hilgers' office for additional comment.
A spokesperson for his office deferred to his previous statement.
