'C'mon man': GOP governor busted for pressuring cop to let him go after traffic stop

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) — currently running for re-election — pulled a "do you know who I am" on a Las Vegas police officer to get out of a ticket, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In body camera footage obtained by the Review-Journal, a Metropolitan Police sergeant pulled over Lombardo's Ford pickup near Mandalay Bay on May 15 for a suspected red light violation as his wife, Donna, sat in the front passenger seat.

According to the report, the sergeant approached the vehicle, and Lombardo immediately identified himself before the officer could even finish explaining the reason for the stop.

"I'm Joe Lombardo," the governor blurted out.

"I'm aware," the officer responded with, "For the red light violation back there. Your right turn onto Giles …" only to have Lombardo cut him off with, "C'mon on, man."

"You are good to go, sir. Appreciate you. Have a good day," the sergeant replied, letting the governor drive away citation-free.

The Review-Journal is reporting that Lombardo's campaign rushed to contain the damage, insisting the governor wasn't seeking preferential treatment. They claimed he was simply being courteous by introducing himself and noted he and his wife were headed to Harry Reid International Airport.

"At no point did the Governor invoke his office and seek — or expect — preferential treatment," the campaign said, despite the video showing exactly that dynamic.

The Las Vegas Police Protective Association provided the body camera video to the Review-Journal. Steve Grammas, president of the union representing Metro officers, defended the sergeant's decision, dismissing the stop as routine.

"It is an absolutely nothing car stop," Grammas said. "Thousands of those happen every month. We don't write everybody a ticket."