FIRST ON FOX: Nevada's Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is refusing to explain why he personally backed a clemency bid for a convicted killer who took the life of a pregnant woman while out on bail for a series of armed robbery attacks on Vegas tourists, dodging questions on camera as he campaigns to be the state's next governor.State records in Nevada show Ford was listed as the sole sponsor for Norman Smith’s commutation application at a Sept.16 Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners meeting.
Smith was serving time for killing a pregnant woman in a convenience store parking lot—a crime committed while he was out on bail for a series of armed robbery attempts committed against Vegas Strip tourists, according to court documents and local reporting at the time. Despite Ford's backing, the board ultimately denied the clemency bid, while Ford skipped the commutation hearing that was scheduled and later walked away from a questioner asking him to justify the decision to sponsor Smith's application at a Las Vegas airport.Ford's sponsorship of the convicted killer's early release bid comes as he mounts a gubernatorial run against Republican Gov.Joe Lombardo, who has repeatedly attacked the attorney general's record on public safety and criminal justice reform. WHITE HOUSE DENIES TRUMP INFLUENCED BY 'PARDON BROKERS' AFTER '60 MINUTES' INVESTIGATIONNevada Attorney General Aaron Ford smiles during his governor campaign kick off event at the East Las Vegas Community Center Monday, July 28, 2025, in Las Vegas.
(Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)When confronted about the sponsorship, Ford's campaign told Fox News Digital the attorney general missed the hearing due to an out-of-state family medical emergency and argued that sponsoring an application is merely a routine procedural step allowing the Board of Pardons to decide on a specific clemency request—but the campaign repeatedly refused to explain why Ford chose to elevate Smith's specific case."Are you ...