I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
ABC News’ blog is reporting that the fingerpointing is starting on Gov. Bill Richardson’s withdrawal of his name from consideration for the spot of U.S. commerce secretary. Barack Obama’s camp says Richardson wasn’t completely forthcoming with the scope of the FBI investigation into the contract of a California-based company. Richardson’s camp is saying they were completely forthcoming.
From Political Punch:
Sources tell ABC News that officials on the Obama Transition Team feel that before he was formally offered the job of commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was not forthcoming with them about the federal investigation that is looking into whether the governor steered a state contract towards a major financial contributor.
The Obama officials say the FBI would not be able to give Richardson a “clean political bill of health” leading up to the Senate confirmations of Richardson.
The Richardson camp says the governor was forthcoming, with sources close to the governor noting that there had been reports about the controversy in local media such as the Albuquerque Journal as far back as August 2008. The governor discussed the investigation with the Obama team, they say, and believes that he and his administration have done nothing wrong.
This seems to reinforce the idea that Richardson’s withdrawal was not Richardson’s idea — rather, it was the idea of someone in Obama’s staff. Though ABC News reports, “President-elect Obama did not ask Richardson to withdraw his name from consideration, sources from both camps say, but the fact that the confirmation seemed untenable in the short term was apparent to everyone involved.”
ABC News also reports that Richardson made his decision Saturday, though he did not tell Lt. Gov. Diane Denish about the decision until Sunday morning.
