Gov. Bill Richardson’s office is being secretive … again.

According to a story in the Albuquerque Journal today by Mike Gallagher, the governor’s office won’t even say whether it has received subpoenas from a federal grand jury or the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding state investment business.

A bit of inconsistency is at play here, as Gallagher points out. The governor’s office publicly released a subpoena related to a different federal investigation in February of this year. That inquiry ended without criminal charges in August, although it wasn’t the clear victory the governor and his people had hoped for.

After the governor released the subpoena earlier this year, the New Mexico Finance Authority, State Investment Council and Educational Retirement Board all rejected requests for the release of similar subpoenas related to federal investigations.

All three agencies, however, later reversed course and followed the governor’s office in releasing subpoenas.

Which makes it curious as to why, 10 months later, the governor’s office is not even acknowledging whether it has received a subpoena from federal prosecutors and regulators scrutinizing New Mexico’s investments.

Gallagher writes that the Journal had requested copies of any subpoenas the governor’s office had received related to the ongoing federal investigations.

Here’s an excerpt from the Journal’s story that recounts the response from the governor’s office:

“Any responsive records the Governor’s Office may have received would be exempt from disclosure. Such documents would relate to a matter that is or will be before a federal grand jury. This office will not release records of this nature pursuant to the federal rules governing grand juries.”

The letter went on to say, “There are also countervailing public policy considerations that warrant denial of your request as well, including but not limited to this Office’s effort to cooperate and not unduly interfere with any federal grand jury investigation(s).”

Gallagher points out that federal rules require secrecy from members of the grand jury, court employees, prosecutors and agents, but that same obligation does not extend to witnesses, i.e., people who receive subpoenas.

The federal investigations are another black eye for New Mexico, especially with the state’s former financial adviser pleading guilty to corruption in October as part of a pay-for-play investigation in New York. Gary Bland, the State Investment Officer, meanwhile, resigned in October in advance of a no-confidence vote from members of the State Investment Council. One member, State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons, told the Associated Press that a private firm hired by the council had discovered that Bland had “pressured investment firms doing business with the state to hire certain third-party marketing or placement agents.

No one has named the third-party marketer involved. But one name has repeatedly surfaced during New Mexico’s scandal involving third-party marketers: Marc Correra.

Correra shared in $22 million in fees over several years as a third-party marketer, meaning he played matchmaker between fund managers looking for investors and the state which was looking to invest.

Marc Correra is the son of Anthony Correra, a fundraiser for and friend of Richardson’s.

Richardson’s office has shown a proclivity toward secretiveness this year surrounding the Correras. NMI repeatedly asked the governor this year if he had met with Marc Correra in the months leading up to a 2006 investment that eventually lost $90 million in taxpayer money. Correra was the third-party marketer in that deal.

The governor and his office repeatedly declined to answer the question until NMI requested to review all documents related to any meetings the governor had with Marc Correra , including calendars, datebooks and e-mails, during the months of January through August 2006.

The governor’s office finally relented, saying the governor had not met with Correra in the months leading up to the investment.

So what message does the decision by the governor’s office to not disclose whether or not it had received a subpoena? First, it signals that the governor’s office likely has been subpoenaed.

As for whether they are trying to hide something, that’s for you to decide.