Wimmer's Nevada GOP job adventure continues

Carl Wimmer tweeted he was having breakfast with the Nevada Republican Party executive director Wednesday morning in an attempt to clear up confusion about whether he was the Silver State's new GOP political director or not.

The problem was, Wimmer wasn't actually having breakfast with the executive director.

David Gallagher, who holds that position, was meeting with Washoe County Republican Chairman David Buell at the time ­­— no Wimmer in sight.

So, with whom was the former Utah lawmaker having breakfast?

"Jesse Law," Buell said. "He thinks he is the executive director."

The saga of Wimmer's sojourn to Las Vegas ("Goodbye Utah, I love you" he posted Tuesday on Facebook) began Monday when the former congressional candidate issued a news release saying he'd been hired as Nevada's state GOP political director. But by the time he took off Tuesday afternoon, the Las Vegas Review-Journal interviewed Party Chairman Mike McDonald, who said not only had Wimmer not been hired, he'd never heard of him.

Wimmer's name, as of Wednesday evening when the state party executive board met, had not been brought forward for the job.

Law's status as a prospect for executive director was in a similar spot.

"No action taken on personnel," Executive Board member Bob List texted late Wednesday. "No hirings or firings at this time."

Buell said it's well-known that Law wants to be the executive director, and two sources confirmed Gallagher is resigning within a week, but for Law to be named executive director to the party, he needs to be recommended by the party's personnel committee and then approved by the executive board — which met Wednesday night via teleconference call.

The origins of how Wimmer's name surfaced in connection with the political director's job became a bit clearer Wednesday.

Brian Blair, who works with Silver Bullet LLC — a political consulting firm run by long-time Wimmer supporter and Utah politico Chuck Warren, said Wimmer's name was the one given to Law for the job.

"We recommended him for the job," Blair said.

Law, Gallagher and McDonald did not return calls for comment.

List said he was also told that the state party wouldn't have to pay Wimmer's salary for the first month on the job — that it would be covered through an arrangement made by Warren.

List said in the past three years, he raised more than $1 million for the state party before being ousted from his position as a national committeeman during the state GOP convention. As current chairman of Nevada's Republican Party budget committee, he said that arrangement made sense since the party was having financial problems.

"The water tables in the well are dropping pretty rapidly," List said. "I don't know where they're going to get the money."

Wimmer didn't comment on the events that transpired Wednesday, though he issued a hopeful tweet early in the morning that said: "Lots of meetings today. Very surprised by the disconnect, but looking forward to everyone getting on the same page. Staying positive!"

dmontero@sltrib.com

Twitter: @davemontero