Republicans Respond to Corruption Indictments

770KKOB is still trying to determine Rebecca Vigil-Giron's employment status with the state's Workforce Solution's Department following her indictment on 50 Felony counts involving the accounting of $6 million in Help America Voter Act [HAVA] award money.

I spoke to Vigil-Giron on her cell phone just before lunch about her employment status. She told me she had just left her attorney's office and was directed not to talk to the press. She did ask us "to pray" for her.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the state's Republican Party, Harvey Yates Jr., isn't wasting any time responding to a state grand jury's indictment of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:

Unfortunately, yesterday's indictment of a Richardson-Denish administration political appointee and former elected Democrat official, along with more mainstays of the Democrat political machine, is this month’s reminder that this state is headed in the wrong direction.

Chairman Yates said political corruption in the state needs to be stopped:

The pattern of corrupt behavior and inept management exhibited by prominent Democrat public servants, while becoming routine, has got to stop. I congratulate the attorney general for joining the fight against corruption; it is not easy to take on one’s own party.

Vigil-Giron’s indictment is one of several scandals currently plaguing Democrat politicians. In addition to Manny Aragon’s departure to prison (June) and the indictments of PRC Commissioners Jerome Block Jr. and Jerome Block Sr. (April), other notable scandals including the indictment of Vincent "Smiley" Gallegos, a former lawmaker and regional housing director, and the convictions of former State Senate President Pro-tem Manny Aragon, Joe Ruiz, a Deputy Insurance Superintendent, and State Treasurers Michael Montoya and Robert Vigil.

Of course the state Republicans are running for cover with legal battles of their own. Democrats want to know if former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and Congresswoman Heather Wilson interfered with or obstructed justice before the White House firing of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and eight other prosecutors.

Chairman Yates statement concludes with:

Along with New Mexicans statewide, we look forward to the Democrats’ account of ‘every last nickel that was spent’ of voter education funding entrusted to the former secretary of state.

NM GOP Candidate for Governor, Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, also responded to the fraud, embezzlement and money laundering indictments:

[This is] a sad reminder that for too long public officials in New Mexico have used elected office to serve themselves as opposed to serving the public who entrusted them to lead our state. Corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars and public funds are simply inexcusable and those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. As we move forward in examining the records of candidates seeking our state’s highest-elected office, it is critically important voters match rhetoric with action, and support someone who has a track record of identifying fraud and corruption and rooting it out. New Mexicans deserve to have faith and confidence that elected officials in state government are conducting themselves with integrity and honesty.

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, who is also running for Governor, has not issued a public statement, although she did talk to our blogging colleague Heath Haussamen.