Nebraska State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha has been “formally reprimanded” for removing posted signs from the capitol walls in January, although she questions if procedure was followed.
The Legislature’s Executive Board unanimously issued a two-page letter—obtained by the Nebraska Examiner—calling the lawmaker’s actions on Jan. 7 “unbecoming” and “selfish.” Cavanaugh was observed on capitol security video, posted on social media by Gov. Jim Pillen, taking down historical exhibit posters commissioned by the White House for the U.S. 250th anniversary.
The posters were created by PragerU—a well funded conservative nonprofit, often criticized for misleading portrayals of history. The displays were approved by the Nebraska Capitol Commission and scheduled to remain in the capitol through the summer.
Pillen referred the incident to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office to determine if a crime was committed. But the reprimand letter, read into record Thursday by the Clerk of the Legislature, said LSO will not pursue charges.
Cavanaugh held the signs briefly in her office, before she contacted the Nebraska State Patrol—which oversees capitol security—and the signs were returned to their original display locations.
After facing criticism from her colleagues, Cavanaugh apologized on the floor shortly after the incident, saying: “I am sorry… I have regretted it pretty much ever since. I regret putting all of my colleagues in the position to have to deal with the repercussions of my actions. I don’t want to be what stands between us and good policy for the people of Nebraska.”
Cavanaugh reiterated her apology Thursday after the letter went public, but said she was “surprised and frankly disappointed” in the Exec. Boards move, saying it came without any notice.
“There was no hearing, no conversation, no request for explanation, and no chance to address the executive board directly. That is not the process we expect in this institution, and it is not the fairness we owe one another as colleagues,” she said, adding that she is unsure whether the criminal referral from Gov. Pillen has been declined or resolved.
“While I stand here responding to a legislative reprimand, the specter of criminal prosecution still hangs over the situation,” Cavanaugh said.
A spokesperson for LSO told KLIN News: “By the direction of Sheriff Wagner, the investigation continues to remain open and ongoing.”
She derided the displays from PragerU for presenting “a narrow ideological version of American history.”
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- One of the PragerU history displays inside the Nebraska State Capitol (Chase Porter, KLIN News)
“It does not meaningfully acknowledge slavery and the Civil War. It does not grapple with forced removal of indigenous people. It does not tell the story of women who fought for the right to vote and equal opportunity. It does not center the civil rights movement and the generations of African Americans who struggled to overcome Jim Crow segregation and systemic discrimination. It does not honor the long fight of LGBTQIA+ Americans for dignity, equality, and recognition under the law,” she said. “Those struggles are not side notes in our history. They are the story of America.”
Cavanaugh also raised questions about whether the Capitol Commission formally approved the display in the first place.
“The facility use permit shows that this display was approved administratively by an acting administrator, not through a formal vote of the commission,” she said. “The Commission meeting minutes reflect a discussion of the display and its timeline, but not a formal vote of approval.”
She called for the letter to be returned for reconsideration “in light of the procedural questions regarding the approval of the display.”
Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, chairman of the Exec. Board, responded to Cavanaugh, saying he appreciated her “genuine” apology, while calling her actions “unprofessional and unbecoming of a state senator.”
He also called her assertion that the reprimand came without notice “completely false,” recounting multiple personal conversations they had on the matter.
“I’m confused about why she’s getting up here saying that nobody communicated this to her,” he said. “We followed everything to a ‘T.’ Why she’s saying that, I am unsure.”