Last Updated on September 20, 2022
In 2020, Joe Biden’s election campaign funded a private security firm owned by Paul Masto, the husband of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), according to a report from Breitbart News. Cortez Masto is currently locked in a tight contest with Trump-backed Adam Laxalt, who leads the incumbent by one-point according to a recent poll from Emerson College.
From 2007 through 2020, Paul Masto owned a private security firm, Universal Security Specialists. The firm was eventually dissolved in 2020, not long after Joe Biden became president-elect.
In addition to owning the firm, Masto served as the company’s president, secretary, treasurer, and director.
From 2019 to 2020, Universal Security Specialists received its only income from Biden For President, then candidate Biden’s official campaign. University Security Specialists was paid a little over $24,000 by the campaign, according to FEC filings.
According to United States Senate Financial Disclosures filed on August 11, 2021, Paul Masto was earning money from the firm. The Biden campaign’s payment was filed under “security,” Breitbart reported.
In addition, the Daily Mail reported in October of 2020 the “Biden campaign paid Universal Security Specialists $10,551 in December and February for ‘security,’ according to its FEC filings.
The money received by Paul Masto entered his account just months before Senator Masto endorsed Biden. “Joe Biden is the leader our country needs right now. His experience leading through moments of crisis and his trademark compassion and empathy are the leadership qualities that are needed as the American people face an unprecedented public health and economic crisis,” the senator wrote in April 2020.
Catherine Cortez Masto’s name was initially floated as a potential running mate, though the senator opted to remove her name from consideration. “It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate, but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration,” Cortez Masto said in a statement at the time. “Nevada’s economy is one of the hardest hit by the current crisis and I will continue to focus on getting Nevadans the support they need to get back on their feet.”
Emails from the infamous Hunter Biden laptop revealed that the Masto family has had ties with the Bidens for over a decade. Paul Masto was friends with the elder Biden’s troubled son Hunter, who he referred to as his “buddy” in one email. Paul Masto mentioned his security firm and asked Hunter Biden if he knew of any potential clients.
In an email titled “Hi Hunter,” Paul Masto wrote:
It has been a long time. Hope you are well. I wanted to ask if you and your family wanted to go to a couple of Navy games this season? Look at the home game schedule and let me know which dates work for you. What about your mom, dad and Beau too? Let me know.
I just heard a rumor that the VP is going to Reno soon. I never hear from anyone on his staff anymore. I offered the Deputy Chief of Staff to do Advances for his staff and to train advance personnel… but no one ever called me back. Oh well!
I opened a new office and have been pretty busy. Do you know anyone who needs a Vulnerability Assessment or Executive Protection?
Take care Hunter. Let me know if you need anything from Nevada. Our current phone numbers are below.
Senator Cortez Masto is currently locked in a tight contest with Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, Nevada’s former attorney general who received Trump’s endorsement during his primary campaign.
A recent Emerson College poll has the race as a dead-heat, with Laxalt holding a one-point lead. Trafalgar Group found Laxalt leading by three-percentage points in their August poll, while other pollsters have found more support for Cortez-Masto. A recent poll from Suffolk University had the incumbent up by a whopping seven percentage points, while FiveThirtyEight’s polling average has Cortez Masto ahead by two.