Our blog readers in 2015 were, as usual, quick to quip with delight at the latest follies of La Politica. One of  the final digs of the year doesn't disappoint:

If that was the Governors Christmas party, you know the New Year's party is going to be a doozy.

Funny. And another:

One thing about the big snowstorm this week, it gave the Guv's staffers another chance to polish their snowballing throwing skills.  

We continue now with our final 2015 edition of vox populi. . .

Bubba Munster wrote on former Mayor Baca's blog about Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez's comment to us that the Guv's interference with the police over her loud holiday party may represent an abuse of power and perhaps Attorney General Balderas should take a look:

Why is Sanchez "floating" the idea of the attorney general investigating the governor when the legislature has the power to do that, and, I'd say, the responsibility? This seems to be the mode. "Not me. Let's have a bunch of meetings and hope the person resigns.". . . Democrats should be all over this nonstop. Did the Republicans in Washington wait to see if Hillary Clinton's email service would be cancelled by Comcast, so they wouldn't have to take responsibility?


Reader Jeff Nordley writes of that statement from the Guv's office that she is not part of the federal grand jury investigation into certain conduct of her administration and the fund-raising operations of her chief political consultant Jay McCleskey:

Governor Martinez says she has not received a target letter from the grand jury and, therefore, is not part of the FBI investigation. In state court, when a person is the target of a grand jury, the prosecution is required to send the defendant a target letter, also called a Bort-Jones letter after the NM Supreme Court case that established the requirement. However, under federal law, a target letter is only required to be sent to a person subpoenaed to be a witness before the grand jury. 

The Department of Justice "encourages" its US attorneys to notify the target but it is not a requirement and in practice they don't often do it unless they think they will gain an evidentiary advantage. Thus, the fact that Martinez has not received a target letter only means that currently the US Attorney's Office has not requested her to testify. If she is indeed the primary target of the investigation then it wouldn't be abnormal for her to never receive a target letter. The assistant US Attorneys prosecuting the case would likely only subpoena her if they believed that they could get Martinez to either perjure herself, claim the 5th, or get her to admit something incriminating.

Prominent Democrat and former US Ambassador to Spain Ed Romero writes:

Joe, I really think you should let up on the Governor. It is Christmas and our kindness and understanding should be extended to everyone, including sloppy drunks. Joe, you have to take into consideration that if you were the Governor and had people fleeing the state, the greatest drug abuse of any state, your administration under investigation by the FBI, the worst economic development program of any state, the highest unemployment rate of any state and known as the worst run state in the union, you, or for sure I, would want to throw one hell of a bender. What better way to bring a little joy into your life? Also think of the satisfaction of throwing a few bottles over a balcony when you really wanted it to be the person standing next to you. Come on Joe. . . it's the season to be jolly. Be nice.

You have a point, Ed. So. . .

Governor, lunch and the vodka gimlets are on us. See you at the Eldorado. Heck, bring Keith and Jay along. They could probably use a few stiff ones after the year they've had.

And that's a wrap for us this year. Thanks for your continued interest, support, comments, criticisms and friendship.

From Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan reporting and wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2015