Heller refuses to echo his campaign's criticism of Berkley

Sen. Dean Heller's (R-Nev.) campaign has been running hard-hitting ads against his opponent, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) — but he refused to echo their criticisms on Tuesday, instead referring all questions about the issue to his campaign.

The ads point out Berkley is the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations that she used her position to financially benefit her husband.

"I haven't made any comments on it. It's one of those things that I let the Ethics Committee do its job and I'll do my job," the freshman senator said when asked about the investigation.

When The Hill pointed out he was running attack ads that say Berkley "pushed legislation and twisted arms of federal regulators, advocating policies for financial gain, saving her husband's industry millions," Heller interjected.



"The campaign is. If you have any questions or comments it'd probably be better if you directed those towards the campaign," he said. "Just talk to the campaign, they're the ones dealing specifically with this issue. Right now, I'm just worried about jobs and the economy."

The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into allegations that Berkley fought to help the kidney transplant industry in order to benefit her husband, a kidney doctor. Part, though not all, of that investigation centers on her fight to keep open a kidney transplant center in Las Vegas which had business dealings with her husband.

Heller supported that push as well, and signed a letter with the rest of the state delegation urging federal officials to keep the center open.

He wouldn't say what he thought of the investigation, but stood by his support of the program.

"Of course — I signed the letter," Heller said.

His campaign argued that the larger issue in the investigation wasn't the medical center they both defended but a letter she wrote to a subcommittee chairman in charge of Medicare funding pushing back against plans to decrease Medicare reimbursement rates for kidney dialysis.

"Not only was her husband one of these doctors, but the same day she received campaign contributions from kidney doctors. The New York Times pointed out that her arm twisting resulted in a $250 million savings for Berkley’s husband’s industry," said Heller spokeswoman Chandler Smith. "This is the kind of behavior that led a panel of five Republicans and five of her own Democrat colleagues to unanimously decide to create an investigative subcommittee on the basis of a non-partisan report for the first time since 2009."

The investigation is highly unlikely to wrap up before the election.

Berkley and Heller are locked in a tight race, which The Hill rates a "tossup."

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