OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An ex-campaign official for Nebraska gubernatorial hopeful Charles Herbster said Thursday that he shot a video of Gov. Pete Ricketts’ former spokesman tossing a Herbster campaign sign into a dumpster as a “dirty trick” to be used against the spokesman and show that Ricketts’ administration was trying to undermine Herbster’s campaign.

Tyler Henningsen, a former Herbster campaign worker, said he secretly recorded then-spokesman Taylor Gage in June at the Saunders County Fairgrounds in Wahoo, where Ricketts was hosting a state-funded town hall event. He said the campaign kept the video after he was fired in August amid infighting, and he had expected it to surface eventually.

“It was a dirty trick, and that’s how it goes a lot of the time,” Henningsen said.

Herbster’s campaign denied Henningsen’s claims, saying they were aware of the video but “thought nothing of it” and had rejected Henningsen’s previous recommendations to release it. They also said Henningsen shot the video unprompted, although Henningsen says he was told to shoot video footage if he saw Gage removing a sign.

 

Rod Edwards, Herbster’s deputy campaign manager, said Henningsen shared the video with numerous people immediately after it was recorded, but was repeatedly told that the campaign wouldn’t use it. He also disputed Henningsen’s allegations of infighting within the campaign, saying the ex-staffer was let go for other reasons.

The video began circulating on social media this week, after Gage left his job as the governor’s communications director to become the new executive director of the Nebraska Republican Party, which is supposed to remain neutral in GOP primary races.

Herbster is locked in a competitive Republican primary to replace Ricketts, who is leaving office next year due to term limits.

Ricketts, a Republican, hasn’t officially endorsed a candidate, but is widely believed to be backing University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen. He has not made a secret of his disdain for Herbster. When former President Donald Trump endorsed Herbster in October, Ricketts released a statement arguing that Herbster isn’t qualified for the job.

Gage said he removed the sign before the governor arrived in Wahoo because it was on county government land at an official, state-funded event. State law prohibits political campaign signs on public property, but that law is often violated.

“I cordially visited with Tyler from the Herbster campaign, letting him know he and his team could attend the event but couldn’t campaign or put up signs,” Gage said in a text message. “He left shortly after that conversation, leaving me to remove the signs.”

Gage said the governor’s office applies the same standard to all groups, including animal welfare activists who were handing out materials at the same event. As the state GOP’s new executive director, he said he has “reached out to establish lines of communication with each of the announced GOP candidates.”

Edwards said he was told that the campaign had permission to place the sign at the fairgrounds.

“We are running a positive campaign, and look forward to working with Mr. Gage and the state party,” Edwards said.