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.
Gov. Bill Richardson
Gov. Bill Richardson and “former high-ranking members of his administration” won’t be charged following the federal investigation into allegations of pay-to-play in his administration, the Associated Press is reporting today.
“It’s over. There’s nothing. It was killed in Washington,” the AP quoted “a person familiar with the investigation, who asked not to be identified because federal officials had not disclosed results of the probe.
The decision to kill the case was made by “top Justice Department officials,” that person told the news service.
Richardson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the AP report. The governor, who is in Cuba on a trade mission, has said all along that he and his administration did nothing improper.
Since sometime in mid 2008, federal investigators had been probing allegations that CDR Financial Products received a state investment contract that paid almost $1.5 million in exchange for $110,000 in contributions to two Richardson political committees and his 2006 gubernatorial reelection campaign. CDR was paid to advise the NMFA on interest-rate swaps and restructuring escrow funds for $1.6 billion in bonds related to the transportation project dubbed GRIP, or Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership.
Among those close to Richardson investigators looked at were David Harris, who headed the finance authority at the time in question; Dave Contarino, Richardson’s former chief of staff and manager of his presidential and gubernatorial campaigns; Richardson political adviser Michael Stratton; and J.P. Morgan banker Chris Romer, who is also a Colorado state senator.
Probe cost Richardson commerce secretary job
The investigation has led to political hard times for Richardson, who withdrew his nomination to be President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary on Jan. 4 and then watched his approval rating plummet.
But Richardson has seen his approval rating rebound somewhat in recent months, and in the last two weeks the global troubleshooter has met with a North Korean delegation in Santa Fe and made the trip to Cuba. He’s scheduled to return to New Mexico on Friday and will report to Obama on his visit.
Obama said in January, when Richardson withdrew his nomination to be commerce secretary, that he looked forward to Richardson’s “future service to our country and in my administration.” Richardson said he would continue serving as governor “for now” and was “eager to serve in the future in any way (Obama) deems useful.”
UPDATE:
KRQE Reporter Michael Hertzenberg reported during last night’s broadcast that top Justice Department officials had decided not to seek indictments against Gov. Bill Richardson and high-ranking state officials in his administration. Hertzenberg said that he had learned of the decision but didn’t say how.
