A political watchdog group that had called for federal investigations of?Sheldon Adelson, the Chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp., ?has retracted some of it’s statements and issued an apology to the casino owner and his family. The?Campaign for Accountability, based in Washington D.C. released a statement on Tuesday that read in part that it,?“made certain statements regarding Mr. Adelson that it now retracts,” further,?“(The group now) apologizes to Mr. Adelson and his family for resurrecting allegations that have caused him deep hurt,” the group said.
Earlier this month the group wrote to the?Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Federal Election Commission asking them to investigate whether Adelson’s hefty campaign contributions to conservative politicians may be coming from foreign moneys. To bolster their request for investigation the group made several claims, echoing allegations made by?the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in 2012. That committee retracted it’s accusations and issued a public apology previously.
The allegations alluded to ties between?Chinese organized crime figures (triads) and Adelson in relation to junket business in Macau. The claims first?came up in a lawsuit filed against Sands et al by former Sands Macau gaming chief, Steve Jacobs who claims he was wrongfully terminated, in part, for refusing to carry out illegal orders. The case has been returned to?Clark County District Court by the Nevada Supreme Court with trial date yet set. The billionaire casino owner was forced to take the witness stand three times so far in the trial that weaves an international web of intrigue.
Early this summer, the?UK based Guardian News and Media Ltd and the Campaign for Accountability filed separate motions with the judge in the Jacobs case asking for a private investigation known only as the “Vickers Report” to be made public. So far the judge has refused.
In clarifying one of their assertions, the group said in their statement that, “Based on evidence provided by Mr. Adelson to CfA after its announcement, the allegation that Mr. Adelson tolerated and possibly promoted prostitution has since been repudiated,” the group said Tuesday in a statement. “CfA therefore retracts any statement asserting or implying that Mr. Adelson tolerated prostitution in any way.
“CfA further apologizes for and retracts its statements regarding Mr. Adelson’s potential current connections to organized crime and possible illegal campaign contributions. The available evidence supports further investigation into these alleged matters but does not support the statements made by CfA outside of its filings with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the Federal Election Commission.”