Congratulations Governor Bill Richardson!

Congratulations Governor Richardson! Your success in avoiding being indicted is undoubtedly the most impressive accomplishment of your two terms as Governor of the Land of Enchantment. In case anyone questions just how impressive an accomplishment this is compared to everything you've done as Governor, I'm providing this link for your use:

Governor Bill Richardson's Greatest Accomplishments

The Makings of a Perfect Storm

During last year's election cycle, the perfect storm was created, and Democrats from the Roundhouse to the White House prevailed. Come the day after the election, there were some lost seats that astounded everyone:

Nobody thought Karen Giannini was going to win.

Not local political junkies (like us at NMI) watching tight races on election night; not her new Democratic colleagues in the state House of Representatives; and certainly not her incumbent opponent, Rep. Justine Fox-Young, who was sitting in what everyone considered a safe Republican seat.

But somehow this Air Force veteran and divorced mother of three defied all odds and expectations by beating her well-financed incumbent opponent.

And she did it without spending a dime.

Of course, next year's election is shaping up to be a little different. There are no indications on Main Street USA that the economy is improving. Quite the contrary, with even the Administration having to admit that the massive bailouts have been a failure. Instead of creating 3.5 million new jobs as promised, the bailouts, at best, have saved or created 600,000 jobs:

Just 10 days before taking office, Obama's top economic advisers released a report predicting unemployment would remain at 8 percent or below through this year if an economic stimulus plan won congressional approval.

Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment in May rose to 9.4 percent.

Biden said the White House is keenly aware of the gap between the rhetoric used to sell fast passage of the legislation and the reality that has 14.5 million people unemployed. The administration had predicted that the stimulus bill would create or save as many as 3.5 million jobs.

14.5 million people in America are now unemployed, and what lays ahead in the future? Well, for the answer we go straight to the top:

President Barack Obama offered stern words for Wall Street and a prediction of 10 percent U.S. unemployment even as he said the “engines” of an economic recovery have begun to turn.

Now, I know that some of you will consider leaving comments that unemployment is a lagging indicator, and that the economy is turning around. Personally, I don't think so, but honestly, it's nothing more than an academic discussion. What's important is the political reality come Election Day 2010.

All of these people are not going to suddenly be employed by that point, and the people's concerns quelled. Hungry, unemployed people really don't care about lagging indicators. They care about providing for their families. In fact, if the public opinion trends continue, we have the makings of a Jimmy Carter situation:

Nearly seven in 10 survey respondents said they had concerns about federal interventions into the economy, including Mr. Obama's decision to take an ownership stake in General Motors Corp., limits on executive compensation and the prospect of more government involvement in health care. The negative feeling toward the GM rescue was reflected elsewhere in the survey as well.

A solid majority -- 58% -- said that the president and Congress should focus on keeping the budget deficit down, even if takes longer for the economy to recover.

Yet, Congress is going to keep on spending because that is what Congress does - at least of late. We've got bigger and bigger and vastly more expensive programs coming down the pike. Now, you couple these federal problems with the never ever ending list of political scandals plaguing the Land of Enchantment, and you have the makings of a new perfect storm.

A storm where those that were swept in the last election cycle with little to no effort, could very easily find themselves just as quickly swept out. With this being the case, it's probably no surprise that new candidates for the Roundhouse are starting to emerge at what may seem to many a very early date. Take for example Nate Gentry, a former aide to Senator Domenici, who has already launched his website to take on the accidental incumbent noted at the beginning of this post in House District 30.

Let the games begin.

Just Another Typical Day of Enchantment

Well, it looks like just another typical news day in the Land of Enchantment. Let's see, we've got a report that one former State Senator has entered prison for his part robbing New Mexicans of $4.2 million:

Former state Senate President Pro Tem Manny Aragon has begun serving his 67-month prison term in Colorado.

Then, we've got an indictment that has been two years in the making of the former executive director of Region III Housing Authority with ties to current House Speaker Ben Lujan:

In 2003 and 2004, State Investment Council bought $5 million in bonds issued by the authority to finance its mission to buy and renovate homes that are sold to low-income buyers.

Money from home sales was used by the housing authority to pay operational expenses including $875,000 that went to Gallegos as salary, retirement benefits and a loan.

The bonds defaulted, and the State Investment Council estimated losses to taxpayers at around $4 million.

Public investigations found, among other things:

• In sales of 40 properties, the money received from buyers wasn't used to pay off the bonds.
• The authority withdrew bond money to purchase five properties it already owned.
• The authority withdrew $880,000 to purchase 16 properties but paid only $280,000 for them.

A series of reports by the Journal's Thomas J. Cole also found that the housing authority allowed a state judge and an aide to House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, to live rent free in authority homes.

And, to round out the headlines, it looks like the results of the investigation into Governor Richardson and his inner circle has arrived on the desk of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

The New Mexico Finance Authority has been part of the federal investigation after awarding a hefty contract — with questionable procedures that included adding points and changing the initial rankings — to California-based CDR Financial Inc.

CDR, which also was awarded a sole-source, no-bid escrow contract, contributed about $100,000 to Richardson's political committees around the time of the contract awards.

The contract award in 2004 was for CDR to advise the Finance Authority on the state $1.6 billion GRIP transportation bond program.

Among the former Finance Authority officials interviewed by the FBI is former NMFA Executive Director David Harris.

After CDR won the New Mexico business in 2004, CDR officials paid for dinner and Lakers basketball tickets in Los Angeles for Harris and former Richardson chief of staff Dave Contarino.

Richardson has said no one from his administration acted improperly.

Of course, the Governor would say no one has acted improperly. This is New Mexico. As it has been noted, it's just "the way we do business." Although, I, for one, am hoping the voters have just about had enough.

Indictments are a Distraction

By now you know that PRC Commissioner Jerome Block, Jr. has been indicted. How Jerome Block, Jr. ever got elected is still a mystery to me. Everything in this guy's recent past seemed to indicate this outcome. But, I have to admit that I find this to be a sad statement on New Mexico's tolerance of illegal behavior among elected officials:

PRC chairman Sandy Jones said it was too early to say whether Block should consider resigning or recusing himself from votes on the commission. Jones said Block had "hit the ground running" and shown commitment to the job since taking office Jan. 1.

"I'm confident right now he's doing what he needs to do," said Jones, even as he acknowledged that the indictments were a distraction.

Only in New Mexico politics could an indictment be considered nothing more than a "distraction."

Rebecca Vigil-Giron and the Never-Ending Audit

Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, who incidentally remains on the taxpayer funded payroll, is back in the news again (subscription):

Lingering questions involving the expenditure of nearly $6.3 million for a voter education campaign by Vigil-Giron in 2004 and 2006 continues to impact the current administration, the state audit found.

"I'm still extremely concerned," Balderas told the Journal on Tuesday. "The overall fiscal management was called into question and our auditors were just not confident enough to give them a clean bill of health."

So, here's the first thing that is bugging me. We're in 2009, and we're still auditing $6.3 million that was expended beginning five years ago? Does that seem like it's taking a long time, or what?

Of course, the state isn't the only one who reviewed the books. The federal government conducted an audit and guess what they found?

A separate federal audit released last year couldn't account for more than $3 million of the $6.3 million paid by Vigil-Giron to media consulting firm A. Gutierrez and Associates.

Vigil-Giron's agency apparently made upfront payments to the consultant and didn't require detailed receipts for the work done.

Nice. I'm in advertising, and I can't imagine not having to account for half the money - to the tune of $3 million - I was given by a client for a media buy. Every time you place an ad in the media, you receive proof of performance (i.e. a notarized copy of the ads' air times, or in the case of a print, a copy of the actual printed ad). The only reason that documentation of proof of performance could not be provided is because the ad didn't run.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has said that some of the money might have to be reimbursed by the state.

Herrera said Tuesday that her office has proposed a measure to "release" taxpayers from having to repay the $6.3 million to the federal government.

"We are hopeful that the Legislature passes this bill," the statement said. "New Mexicans should be protected."

Oh that's just priceless. Someone please call up the Secretary of State office and explain where the government gets their money to our current Secretary of State Mary Herrera. Let her know that regardless of what bill the Legislature passes, it is taxpayers' money that will be used to satisfy that debt.

Among its findings, the state audit determined Vigil-Giron's office inappropriately used nearly $30,000 in federal voter education funds to enhance the agency's Web site.

Balderas said enhancing a Web site was "clearly not central to the HAVA (Help America Vote Act) mission."

Now, wait a minute. Something here just doesn't make sense. Vigil-Giron's office claims to have enhanced the agency website. Please, let's get real. Oh, and I think those auditors need to go back and review their work. As I recall, that $30,000 doesn't even come close to the amount that was spent on a worthless website:

That's right Ms. Vigil-Giron has had three years to get this system up and running without success. As our Secretary of State describes it, the problem is two-fold 1) the contractor has failed to meet the deadlines; and 2) there just wasn't enough money allocated. Of course, number two rings a little false when you realize that Vigil-Giron spent $2 million in 2004 on self-promoting television ads.

So, what has Ms. Vigil-Giron done about the contractor's failure to deliver? Has she demanded a refund? No. Has she sent a letter to the contractor demanding that they stop listing New Mexico as one of the "jurisdictions using SOSKB?" No. Has she gone to the Attorney General and asked Patricia Madrid to file suit against this company to get back our taxpayer dollars? No. So, what has she done?

Using federal dollars earmarked for voter education, Vigil-Giron's office only last month signed a new $350,000 contract for completion of the system with the same North Carolina company she hired to do the job in 2003.

You read that correctly. Vigil-Giron's office has given the company another contract for $230,000 more than the first contract. Am I the only one who thinks this is nuts? Then again, maybe she is rewarding the company for failing to deliver a fully operational system. See, that actually makes sense. The company's failure to deliver has allowed Governor Richardson's representative the opportunity to say:

"It's a shame there are problems," Amanda Cooper, Richardson's campaign manager, said of the state's electronic filing program. "We want to file our campaign finance records in a way that people can search them."

Um, yeah... hindsight really is 20/20. I'm sure the Governor was just so upset that people were unable to search campaign finance records. Just think, if those campaign finance records had been searchable, the CDR scandal might have broke before he had a chance to run for President.

In fact, the Governor was so distraught (wink,wink, nudge, nudge) that he gave Ms. Vigil-Giron another taxpayer funded job. And, Governor Richardson's rationale at the time for making sure that this individual, mired in scandal, had another taxpayer funded position:

Even with his call for an audit, the governor defended Vigil-Giron.

He said she "has served the state, she's been an elected official, she's contributed to state government in New Mexico and I believe she deserves an opportunity to stay in state government."

I'd say she has contributed. Contributed to our debt. As to deserving to stay in state government, well, I guess she does deserve it... about as much Manny Aragon and Michael Montoya and Robert Vigil deserved to stay in state government.

I guess that's enough of that. Let's move on to other news. It looks like not all hiring freezes are created equal (subscription):

Three months ago, Gov. Bill Richardson froze pay increases and hiring at the departments and other agencies under his control as a means to help address the state's budget problems.

But there have been exceptions, both in hires and pay increases.

Richardson has made 16 appointments to exempt positions since the hiring and pay freeze took effect Nov. 15, according to data released Tuesday by the Department of Finance and Administration.

Those appointees are exempt from the protections of the classified employee system and serve at the pleasure of the governor.

The appointees include Geno Zamora, hired as a lawyer for the Economic Development Department at an annual salary of $87,000. He worked in the Governor's Office before making an unsuccessful bid for attorney general in 2006.

Other appointees include a new head for the Game and Fish Department, a division director at the Department of Cultural Affairs, a lawyer at the Department of Workforce Solutions and an administrator for Miners' Colfax Medical Center in Raton.

Hold the presses. What's that say in that last line? "A lawyer at the Department of Workforce Solutions" was among those hired. What is it about that gives me pause? Hmmm. Oh, I know:

Vigil-Giron, who now works for the state's Department of Workforce Solutions, dismissed the new state audit as politically motivated.

The Department of Workforce Soultions puts an attorney on the payroll. Rebecca Vigil-Giron works at the Department of Workforce Solutions. I'm sure it's all just some bizarre coincidence.

Richardson's Economic Abilities

Ever since I read Governor Bill Richardson's withdrawal statement, something has been gnawing at me. At first I couldn't figure out what it was, but now I think I've isolated the culprit. It's this statement by Governor Richardson (subscription):

"As you might expect, I am disappointed in this turn of events. There were a lot of ways in which I thought I could help the country in this time of financial crisis. Sometimes your own dreams and plans must take a back seat to what is best for the nation.

There are three sentences in the selection above, and only one of them has an iota of truth. The part about being disappointed about the turn of events. That's completely believable. I'd be willing to believe that anyone who has had to retain legal counsel on the chance that they will be brought before a grand jury would be "disappointed in the turn of events."

But, the second and third sentences are classic Bill Richardson. Statements with no basis in reality. Does anyone actually believe that Governor Bill Richardson is one of the guys who could help the country come up with a solution to a global financial crisis. Gosh, I hope not.

Let's just look at the simple facts. Even President-elect Obama choose to announce his economic team separate from his selection of Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary. Why? Well, there is nothing in Governor Richardson's resume which indicates that he knows the first thing about managing an economy. Quite to the contrary, during a time of unbelievablely high tax revenue, Governor Richardson has spent us into a half a billion dollar budget shortfall.

Granted, he is in good company. There are 44 other Governors who have the same miserable economic track record.

The states’ fiscal problems are continuing into the next two years. At least 38 states have looked ahead and anticipate deficits for fiscal year 2010 and beyond.[1] These gaps total almost $80 billion — 17 percent of budgets — for the 30 states that have estimated the size of these gaps and are likely to grow as gaps are re-estimated in the next few months.

Figure 2 shows the size and duration of the deficits in the recession that occurred in the first part of this decade, and estimates of the likely deficits this time. This recession is more severe — deeper and longer — than the last recession, and thus state fiscal problems are likely to be worse.

The fiscal situation is going to get worse in New Mexico, and we have Governor Richardson to thank, along with some other elected officials, to thank for the pickle in which we currently find ourselves.

As to the Governor's statement about the Secretary of Commerce job being his dream gig. Let's get real. His dream gig was to become President. That didn't happen. His next big hope was to be named Secretary of State, but that was a bust as well. Then, with an impending financial crisis in New Mexico and a threat of prosecution for rampant pay to play policies, his goal was simply just to get out of Dodge. But, I don't think anyone would mistake that for his dream.

As to putting the nation first... Well, if there is one thing Governor Bill Richardson has proved over his tenure in office, it is that putting others ahead of himself has never been his priority.

A Broken Legislative Process

Last week I received an email and a phone call from a reader wanting to discuss my post regarding the government's case in the Metropolitan Courthouse Scandal. Specifically, the reader was troubled by this:

Speaking of unnamed folks in the legislature:

During the 2003 legislative session, Defendant Aragon told a legislative staff member to redirect funds that had been allocated in 1999 to two other projects to the Metropolitan Courthouse for use as additional funding on that project. Defendant Aragon's statements, which caused the redirection of the funds, made additional funds accessible to the members of the conspiracy related to the building of the Metropolitan Courthouse.

Kind of makes you wonder who is this unnamed "legislative staff member" who aided and abetted in defrauding the taxpayers? The 2003 legislative session wasn't that long ago. Is this person still working in the legislature? Are they now assisting other politicians in making "additional funds accessible" for other building conspiracies?

Unfortunately, I was in Washington D.C. with my family last week, so I didn't get to return the phone call for a frank discussion until yesterday. During which time, the reader made a very good point that is worth repeating here. Namely, that "aided and abetted in defrauding taxpayers" may be an unfair way to portray the act of the legislative staff member.

The way this process was explained to me, a legislator (or his/her staff member) asks the legislative staff to draft a change for a reauthorization or insertion of capital outlay into the capital outlay bill. This is done, and it is then voted on by the Legislator. So, charging the legislative staff member with "aiding and abetting " would make as much sense as charging the typist who typed up the change or the courier who delivered the new bill.

So, this brings us back to who has responsibility? Well, the simple answer is that the legislators who voted to approve the 340 page bill and the Governor who signed the bill without questioning the misappropriation of funds share the responsibility.

A quick search of the 2003 Capital Outlay bill, H.B. 200 reveals that "Metropolitan" shows up six times within two pages on the 340 page document. First, money that had previously been appropriated to Indian Pueblo Cultural Center were appropriated to the Metropolitan Courthouse.

But, here is the really disturbing part:

Section 121. MOUNTAIN VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL--CHANGE PURPOSE AND EXTEND EXPENDITURE PERIOD FOR THE METROPOLITAN COURTHOUSE IN BERNALILLO COUNTY.--The balance of proceeds from the sale of severance tax bonds appropriated to the state department of public education pursuant to Subsection T of Section 19 of Chapter 2 of Laws 1999 (1st S.S.) for educational technology at Mountain View elementary school in Albuquerque in Bernalillo county shall not be expended for the original purpose but is reauthorized and appropriated to the Bernalillo county metropolitan court for the purpose of furnishing and equipping the new metropolitan courthouse in Bernalillo county.

That's right, they took money for our kids to line their pockets. And, the kicker to all of this comes from this paragraph taken from Governor Bill Richardson's 2003 State of the State to kickoff the Legisaltive Session:

We cannot achieve our lofty economic and educational goals without first meeting our most basic needs. When I proposed my budget, I set out three basic goals: Better schools, better jobs and more money in the pockets of New Mexicans.

Well, I guess he succeeded in putting more money in the pockets of some New Mexicans.

Taking a Look at The Government's Case

On October 25, 2007, the federal government filed two document notifying their intent to introduce evidence in the Metropolitan Courthouse kickback scandal. If you take a look at the filing, what is most interesting is not who is named, but who is not named as a "co-conspirator."

For example, despite the fact that lobbyists are often portrayed and perceived as evil and corrupting influences in the "wholesome" legislative process, the filing tells a different tale:

During the time that Defendant Michael Murphy was a board member of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA), he asked a lobbyist to deliver funds to two influential politicians. Defendant Murphy told the lobbyist that his payment from AMAFCA would be increased to pay for the funds that were to go to these two politicians. The total amount of the funds that was to be paid to these two politicians was approximately $30,000.00. The lobbyist refused to agree to this requested arrangement.

Now, it is interesting that the honest lobbyist is not named. But, I guess it's not to difficult for someone to do a little digging and figure out when Michael Murphy was elected to the AMAFCA Board, and then hop over to the Secretary of State's website and discover who was registered as a lobbyist for AMAFCA at that time.

However, the big question here that is not quite as easily answered is who are the "two influential politicians" that were supposed to receive $30,000 from Michael Murphy? It would be safe to assume we are not talking about Manny Aragon, since he is already identified in the filing as a co-conspirator. Are these unnamed influential politicians still serving in the Legislature? Are they Democrats or Republicans? Can they still be bought for $30,000?

Speaking of unnamed folks in the legislature:

During the 2003 legislative session, Defendant Aragon told a legislative staff member to redirect funds that had been allocated in 1999 to two other projects to the Metropolitan Courthouse for use as additional funding on that project. Defendant Aragon's statements, which caused the redirection of the funds, made additional funds accessible to the members of the conspiracy related to the building of the Metropolitan Courthouse.

Kind of makes you wonder who is this unnamed "legislative staff member" who aided and abetted in defrauding the taxpayers? The 2003 legislative session wasn't that long ago. Is this person still working in the legislature? Are they now assisting other politicians in making "additional funds accessible" for other building conspiracies?

I've got to run, but let me leave you with this thought...

The next time you read in the paper about "ethics reform efforts" being proposed by the Legislature, you might want to ponder if any of those serving on the ethics task force are actually the unnamed politicians from the conspiracy.

"How to Ink a Book Deal" by David Iglesias

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is suffering from withdrawal - media limelight withdrawal. Iglesias fatigue has set in with the media and the public in general, so the media focus has shifted on to the prosecution of the LONG AWAITED courthouse indictments - something actually newsworthy.

So, what's Mr. Iglesias to do? Well, according to the Albuquerque Journal (subscription):

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is seeking the help of a federal investigative office to determine if he was fired illegally for missing work to serve in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Iglesias, who was forced to resign Dec. 7 after five years as New Mexico's U.S. attorney, has previously contended he was fired for political reasons. He has also suggested the Justice Department later developed a case to show he was fired for poor job performance.

This week, he filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, an investigative arm of the federal government, asking it to investigate if he was illegally fired for fulfilling his Naval Reserve obligations.

Iglesias said he was approached by officials from the Office of Special Counsel about filing a complaint.

Now, it's that last paragraph above that warrants your additional attention. The disgruntled former U.S. Attorney is attempting to paint the picture that he is just responding to a request from the Office of Special Counsel, but this is where it gets a little suspect:

Loren Smith, an OSC spokesman, confirmed that Iglesias has filed a complaint and that the agency is investigating.

Smith said he was unsure exactly how the complaint was initiated but said Iglesias is a friend of a staffer at the agency and that the two had discussed the matter before the complaint was filed.

Hmm, if I was a cynic, I might think this is all about trying to add a few chapters to that planned "inspirational" book (subscription) and maybe improve the chances of inking a deal:

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias said Thursday he might write a book to tell his life story and wants a government retraction and apology for his firing.

Iglesias told the Journal on Thursday that he has been approached by three "literary agents"— two from the East Coast and one from the West Coast— who have expressed interest in signing him to a book deal.

The New Mexico Republican, who was forced to resign as the state's U.S. attorney on Dec. 7, declined to name the agents or publishing houses and said he has not yet inked a deal.

After all, it's not like the major publishing houses need to put out another travel guide.


NOTE: Turn on KNME's The Line tonight at 7:00 p.m. to catch me talking about the latest and greatest.

Donating to Charity

I'm all for supporting charities, but this practice of politicians announcing in the press that they are turning tainted money over to their favorite charity (subscription) just doesn't sit right with me.

Richardson on Monday vowed to donate to charity all of the campaign money his camp received from people or companies implicated in the courthouse scandal.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and state Attorney General Gary King followed suit on Tuesday. And the state chairman of a group that battled— mostly unsuccessfully— for sweeping ethics reform in the just-concluded state legislative session said every politician who took money from Schultz should do likewise.

The purpose of campaign contributions is to buy awareness and influence voters, and by publicly acknowledging that you're donating it to a cause, that money is working precisely the way it was supposed to work. Wasn't Eric Serna being investigated for soliciting contributions to his favorite charity? I'm not sure this is too different.

Is it really necessary for politicians to issue press releases to announce who the recipients of the donation will be? Doesn't this seem a bit unwarranted:

Denish in a news release Tuesday said she is giving $1,000 in contributions from those implicated in the scandal to the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation.

A very worthy cause, but did the Lt. Governor really need to release who would be the beneficiary of the donation. It seems to me that the money should just be returned to the donor. It may not be the most productive use of the dollars, but the alternative, at least with the fanfare it is being given, just doesn't seem right.

ABQ Journal Editorial Non Sequitur

Talk about missing the mark, the Albuquerque Journal missed it today and missed it by a long shot. How can the editorial board of the state's largest daily newspaper be so easily duped as to believe "ethics reform" is going to have any effect on stopping crooks, thieves and swindlers?

Read this opening paragraph to today's editorial (subscription):

If having the former leader of the New Mexico Senate indicted in a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme doesn't scream "we need ethics reform," then probably nothing does.

Most states have limits on campaign contributions. Most have some form of an independent ethics commission empowered to oversee public officials. But in New Mexico, the sky's still the limit when it comes to campaign donations, and government officials are still expected to police themselves.

That is a complete and total non sequitur. What in the world does a construction kickback scheme have to do with campaign contributions? Anybody want to bet that Governor Richardson's folks walked into the editorial board and fed them this nonsense? Probably no need to bet, since the giveaway is found towards the end of the editorial:

Despite prodding from Gov. Bill Richardson, neither ethics measure was deemed worthy enough of lawmakers' attention to warrant up-or-down roll call votes. And that should get the public's attention.

Give me a break. Governor Bill Richardson has steered the biggest and most successful pay to play administration New Mexico has ever seen. Moreover, this is the Governor who fought tooth and nail to keep any campaign contribution limits from being thrust upon him before he ran for re-election. C'mon Journal, it was only a year ago, and it was reported in your pages (subscription):

Gov. Bill Richardson wants lawmakers to postpone work on broad ethics or lobbying reforms until next year and instead focus on anti-corruption proposals developed in the wake of a kickback scandal involving state treasurers.

Richardson's comments came Wednesday after a Senate committee unanimously approved a bill to prohibit campaign contributions and most gifts to legislators and state elected officials — such as the governor and treasurer — from companies and individuals providing investment or financial services to the state.

At the time, Governor Richardson gave some lame excuse about thirty days not being enough time to fully consider ethics reform. So, please explain to me, if thirty days is not enough time, then how the heck is a week and a half special session enough time?

It's mind blowing to me that the editorial board fell for such obvious political spin. They should be seasoned enough to have recognized it for what it was. An absentee Governor trying to save face for making a poor executive decision by forcing the legislature back into session right on the heels of a 60 day session.

Schumer Releases Official Transcript of Domenici Call to Iglesias

I don't usually write on Sunday's, but this is just too important to wait until tomorrow. In an apparent attempt to keep the partisan bashing of New Mexico's Republican Congressional Representatives alive, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) earlier today released the official transcripts of the now infamous call between former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM).

Under a little known section of the Patriot Act, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been recording all conversations between its members and other branches of U.S. Government. When the Senate was under Republican control, this information was only used to keep the caucus voting as a block. However, now that the tide has turned, and the Democrats control the Senate, the Democratic Senatorial Congressional Committee (DSCC) is on record as saying they will shamelessly use the information as often as necessary to win additional seats in the Senate for Democrats.

In what will most likely go down in the history books as the beginning of a new dawn in American politics, Senator Schumer, at the urging of former New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid, has released the transcript below from that fateful day in October:

5:04 p.m. October 27, 2006

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: Hello, this is Pete. I want to -

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Just a second, Pete. Honey, can you turn up the volume.

Heard in the background: "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Ah, I love that scene. Pete, did I ever tell you the movie a Few Good Men was based on my life?

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: Yes, David. Now listen, I have something important to ask you?

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Pete, hold on a second. Sweetheart, where's the suntan lotion? Oh, thanks. Pete, have you ever been to Bali Bali?

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: No, David, I haven't. The reason I'm calling -

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Me neither. I can't thank you enough for getting me this job. The foreign travel perks have been FANTASTIC. I've seen more of the world in this job than in my whole time in the service. In fact, if it wasn't for the all this legal stuff they keep asking me to do, I'd say this was the best darn job in the whole world.

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: David, that's why I'm calling. You see, people are calling me, and complaining about -

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Oh, Pete, don't worry about that. You're so old school. People call me all the time. I just have them put straight into voicemail. After all, a guy can only listen to so much whining about voter fraud. This is New Mexico, of course we have voter fraud. Pete, you got to learn to just ignore folks.

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: David, are you going to file indictments before your next trip abroad in November?

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: No.

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici: I'm sorry to hear that.

Sound of line going dead.

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: Pete, Pete, are you still there? Huh? Honey, where is that travel itinerary? Oh, and bring me my antacids. You know how I always feel sick to my stomach before traveling.

5:07 p.m. October 27, 2006

New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman, John Wertheim, held a press conference today in front of the Bernalillo County Courthouse, in which he stated:

I'm glad the good Senator from New York, Senator Schumer, released this transcript today. People were beginning to lose focus. Too much emphasis was being placed on the indictments against my good friend and a New Mexico treasure, former State Senator and fired Highlands University President, Manny Aragon. So, what if former Senator Aragon took a little bit of money for himself. He worked tirelessly handing out New Mexico taxpayers' money to his friends for years. Is it really a crime that he should finally keep a bit for himself? Do you realize that our state legislators don't get paid?

No, what's really important is the total disregard Senator Pete Domenici showed when he violated U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in his own home and emasculated him in the presence of his wife.

The transcripts clearly show that the Senator doesn't understand that the work day ends at 5:00 p.m. Maybe back in the old days people put in long hours, but this is the 21st century, and we have rights. The U.S. Attorney is not a greeter at Walmart. He doesn't even get overtime. No, my friends, Senator Pete Domenici stepped over the line, and showed little regard for David Iglesias.

The transcripts clearly showed that the Senator did not even once ask David how long he would be gone? He didn't even think to ask if he should send someone to check on David's house while he was traveling. He didn't even have the courtesy to say goodbye before ending the conversation.

Let us not lose sight of what it truly important. Another New Mexico kickback scandal is nothing compared to a Senator who answers the phone when his constituents call and then proceeds to take action. Senator Domenici set a very dangerous precedent here for all New Mexico politicians.

In fact, I have it on good authority, that in 35 years of service, Senator Pete has never even taken a kickback. No, this cannot go on. We must unite and take back this U.S. Senate seat. In the name of Manny Aragon, Michael Montoya and Robert Vigil, our future, the future of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, depends on it.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

What a World of Difference a Change Can Make

Successful prosecution of public corruption under former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias (R) and former Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D) was, well, practically non-existent. They were the perfect example of the gang who couldn't shoot straight. First, Mr. Iglesias botched the Vigil case, and then Ms. Madrid makes a bad situation worse be indicting the witnesses.

Compare that to what just happened yesterday:

Acting United States Attorney Larry Gomez and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) SAC Thomas McClenaghan announce the filing today, Thursday, March 29th, of a federal grand jury indictment charging four defendants in a conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering public corruption case. Those charged defendants are Toby Martinez, Manny Aragon, Raul Parra and Sandra Mata Martinez. The loss to the State of New Mexico taxpayers of approximately $4.2 million forms the basis of the indictment.

Now, anyone still wonder why neither the former U.S. Attorney or Attorney General have a job. Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh, and just for the record, Ken Schultz, the former Albuquerque Mayor who plead guilty in this thing, is a registered Republican, so any blogger trying to pretend that these are all Democrats is purposely trying to mislead his readers to keep the Democratic campaign against our Congresswoman and Senator alive.

Manny Aragon Indictment

UPDATE: Due to the recent Courthouse indictments, this post is getting a lot of hits, so I thought all of the new visitors might appreciate links to a more recent post from the day after the indictments. Make sure to check the main page often, as I'll post more as case moves forward.


People arrive on this site through a variety of key word searches. Sometimes looking at the searches that brings them to this blog is a good indication of news that's about to break. For example, just hours ago someone did a Google search for "Manny Aragon Indictment" and landed here. Now, I'm not listed until the second page of the search, so I can't help but think they were looking for something in particular. A quick check of the Albuquerque Journal website shows this breaking story (subscription):

New Mexico Highlands University President Manny Aragon has been placed on administrative leave, and regents said Wednesday they were negotiating his role at the northern New Mexico school.

The decision to put Aragon on leave was made over the course of recent days, Regents Chairman Javier Gonzales and Regent John Loehr confirmed Wednesday evening. They declined to say what prompted the decision.

"It is a personnel issue and discussions are currently under way,'' Loehr said, adding that he expected a "fairly early resolution.''

Aragon, reached Wednesday evening at his home in Albuquerque, declined comment. He said only that he and the regents were in negotiations about his future at the university.

Can't help but wonder if the two are connected, or if this is just an odd coincidence. I guess we will know more soon.