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.
A number of Republicans are raising questions in light of today’s news that Gov. Bill Richardson and others won’t be charged following a federal investigation into allegations of pay to play in his administration.
So far, the only confirmation that the probe has ended has come from unnamed sources speaking to KRQE-TV and The Associated Press. In an interview, State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, and a 2010 candidate for governor, said the Department of Justice in Washington and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque need to publicly confirm that charges won’t be filed and explain why.
“At this point, what I can see is the governor’s buddies still made a lot of money and it costs the taxpayers a lot of money,” Arnold-Jones said. “While [not filing charges] may be justified, without an explanation, the confidence of the public continues to be eroded.”
According to the AP, “A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Albuquerque said he had no information about the Justice Department’s decision and couldn’t comment.”
The AP article also quoted an unnamed source as saying the federal probe “was killed in Washington,” not at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque. That prompted state GOP Chairman Harvey Yates Jr. to ask in a news release whether the decision was made “contrary to the advice of experienced, non-political, career prosecutors and the FBI.”
The state GOP’s news release points out that during his Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said this: “The attempt to politicize the department will not be tolerated should I become attorney general of the United States. … I will work to restore the credibility of a department badly shaken by allegations of improper political interference.”
Holder was speaking, of course, about the scandal that resulted from the firings of several U.S. attorneys, including New Mexico’s David Iglesias, during the Bush administration. New Mexico is ground zero for that ongoing controversy.
In light of Holder’s statements during his confirmation hearing, Yates called on Holder to “provide transparent and honest answers” about the end of the Richardson pay-to-play probe.
Meanwhile, Susana Martinez, Doña Ana County’s district attorney and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, had this to say in a news release: “Whether its today’s news about the FBI investigation into the Richardson/Denish administration or recent news concerning the indictment of the former secretary of state, it all speaks to the same issue: Corruption is running rampant in Santa Fe and must be rooted out.”
“I am the only candidate who has a proven track record of taking on corrupt officials and bringing them to justice,” she said. “As governor, I will instill integrity and confidence in state government by ushering in a true ‘culture of responsibility’ as opposed to turning a blind eye to waste, fraud and abuse.”
