OATH KEEPER TO JUDGE: Election-denying GOP candidate given judicial power
A former Las Vegas assemblywoman and failed GOP candidate for Nevada State Treasurer has been appointed to serve as a judge in her new hometown. Michele Fiore, who has no law degree, beat out 17 applicants for the position.
And Fiore couldn’t be happier.
“I’m excited about the learning curve. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I know everything — I will tell you that I don’t know what I don’t know,” she told commissioners. “Becoming a justice of the peace, I know, will be very exciting. And I will go to whatever lengths I have to to make sure that I have all of the knowledge,” The Nevada Independent wrote.
The ultra-MAGA second amendment enthusiast moved to Pahrump, Nevada – a little over an hour outside of Las Vegas – almost immediately after handily losing her misguided campaign for statewide office.
Plagued by scandal and controversy, the Brooklyn, New York native has multiple losing notches under her belt.
Her run for Congress in 2016 was a huge failure; she resigned as Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem after controversial racially charged statements during the social justice protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020; and her gubernatorial bid for NV governor in 2022 was short-lived.
The vindictive councilwoman then took her shot at Democratic incumbent Zach Conine to be the state’s money manager, in what was – yup, you guessed it – another fail.
After Fiore came under FBI investigation for campaign finance violations in January 2021, her North Las Vegas home was raided.
Just a few months later, Fiore would abandon her run to lead the state and throw her hat in the already crowded ring for Nevada State Treasurer.
Occupy Democrats reached out to Fiore supporter and longtime Trump ally, Roger Stone, for a comment on the FBI raid after he appeared on an episode of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s InfoWars.
“I believe the FBI’s raid on her was based on the false claims of a disgruntled former employee,” Stone texted. “I also believe she was unfairly targeted by the FBI, as many supporters of the president have been,” he added.
Fiore had nearly $1 million in tax liens and is alleged to have funneled more than $300,000 through her campaign to a business that her daughter owned.
The newly appointed Nye County Justice of the Peace gained notoriety for her support of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy during his standoff with the federal government.
A close friend of the Bundy family, Fiore was present at the confrontation – along with Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes.
A short time later, the gun-loving local politician would arrive at the Malheur standoff in Bend, Oregon that was spearheaded by Cliven’s son Ammon Bundy.
The younger Bundy requested Fiore personally – and refused to surrender until she arrived.
And now she’s a judge.
Nye County commissioners debated for approximately four hours before deciding unanimously in Fiore’s favor.
“In making the motion to approve Fiore, Commissioner Donna Cox cited the former lawmaker’s ambition, knowledge, and recommendation from former President Donald Trump,” The Nevada Independent reported.
As incredulous as it may seem that without so much as a Bachelor’s degree, Fiore managed to best her opponents to win a seat on the judicial bench, one must take into account that one of her competitors — former Nye County Commissioner Leonardo Blundo — was charged with felony domestic battery earlier this year for choking his wife.
In today’s GOP world, sometimes you have to go with the best of the worst.
Occupy Democrats reached out to Justice Fiore by text and is awaiting a reply.
Original reporting by Michelle Rindels at The Nevada Independent.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter
