U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder dodged questions Friday on the active pay-to-play investigation involving the New Mexico Mortgage Authority.

Federal prosecutors have been looking into a lucrative contract that was awarded to the California company — CDR Financial Inc. — that made big contributions to political action committees formed by Gov. Bill Richardson.

The investigation cost Richardson his post in January as President Obama’s nominee for U.S. commerce secretary in January.

Media reports have suggested that the investigative phase of the inquiry has ended and the question of whether to pursue criminal indictments is now at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington.

Asked by a reporter Friday when he would make a decision on the investigation, Holder responded:

I don’t comment on the existence or nonexistence of an investigation.

That prompted Michael Hertzenberg of KRQE-TV, to follow up by asking the U.S. Attorney General had he met with the governor last night.

“I have not met with Gov. Richardson for a while,” Holder said.

Holder later declined to answer a question from the Independent as to how he is updated on the investigation, and whether he follows it from Washington.

Richardson was a conspicuous no-show Friday at an event at University of New Mexico where Holder and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the Obama administration’s Southwest Counternarcotice Strategy. Both Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez did attend the event.