Our criticism of Sen. Martin Heinrich for boycotting the presidential speech before Congress this week and Rep. Melanie Stansbury's behavior at the joint session brought reader reaction. Like the nation it was quite divided. 

And with that we kick off this edition of the always popular Reader Vox Populi. 

First up is reader Freddie Lopez;

Hi Joe, I must say, this is probably the best blog you’ve written so far. The behavior displayed by the Democrats during the President's Congressional speech was truly embarrassing and ridiculous. Everyone knows where the Democrats stand with President Trump so why the pointless theatrics? If the Democrats simply showed maturity , they could slowly rebuild momentum to possibly retake the House in 2026. But if this continues, Republicans will expand their majority. As you rightfully mentioned, showing respect for the Presidential office does not mean showing respect for the current occupant. Perhaps Melanie and Martin should read your blogs more often. Outstanding analysis! 

 Reader Diane Ochoa sees it differently: 

Yeah right, "respect for the Presidential Office" you say. Where were those words when Trump was being disrespectful to a war torn Ukrainian leader!? Or Republican Reps Green or Boebert yelling out at Democratic Presidents during their speeches? I could go on ad nauseam. Perhaps a little protest sign is more effective than Trump's so called third grader "sharp arrows", you say. Thank you Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury for your tasteful protest against this felon! No respect for this abnormal person has become the norm in my mind and many others that refuse to be brainwashed by this grifter. 

Reader Ron Nelson comes with this: 

 Great job, Joe. However, I take issue with this one statement - “Stansbury is the brightest bulb in the entire congressional delegation”  What amazes me is the top Democrat pundits were warning them “don’t do anything stupid” at the speech.Y et here we are. They have created a file called “stupid things from our legislature representatives” for the next midterm election. So far their voting record goes against core family values - all 5 voted against the Liken Riley Act and all of them voted against males competing in female sports. That made it through the House but allthe Dems in the Senate shut it down. 

Roberta Winchester writes:

Dear Mr. Monahan, I disagree with your statements about Senator Heinrich and Congresswoman Stansbury. It is great to finally have some Democrats with a backbone. Let’s talk about showing respect. Was it showing respect for DT to call Senator Warren "Pocahontas?" Was it showing respect when Republicans shouted “Liar” during Obama’s speech, or for the toddlers Marjorie taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert to stand up and yell during Biden’s speech? Did they get thrown out of the chamber? No, of course not because Republicans are hypocrites

THE NM GOP writes of Stansbury holding her sign at the Trump speech that read, "this is not normal": 

--Allowing Transgender Surgeries for Kids – Supporting irreversible medical procedures on minors without their full understanding or consent—is not normal. 

--Stripping Away Parental Rights – Advocating for policies that remove parents from critical decisions regarding their children’s education, healthcare, and upbringing—is not normal. 

--Ignoring Women’s Rights – Failing to protect biological women by allowing men to compete in women’s sports, undermining fairness and safety—is not normal.

 RIGHT TO KNOW

One of our Legal Beagles writes with reaction to the continued media and public blackout at those plea hearings in ABQ US District Court in the DWI scandal involving numerous APD and Sheriff's deputies admitting that they took bribes from attorney Tom Clear. From the Beagle:  

Joe, Friday February 25 the US Attorney's office announced that Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Hammerel had pled guilty to charges resulting from the DWI Enterprise. I immediately went to the Federal Court's online search engine (Pacer) where all court records and dockets are posted. Hammerel's name resulted in nothing found. This was at 7 p.m, on February 25. Once the court opened on February 26 I checked again for Hammerel and his entire case was now available, stating every document was filed with the court late on February 25. None of this information was made public prior to Hammerel appearing in court, so therefore no media outlet and no one from the public was in the courtroom.  

The NM US Attorney with the cooperation of federal magistrates seem to be holding “star chamber” proceedings regarding the DWI Enterprise. Where, outside of public view, they charge defendants, do plea deals with them, get release conditions and guilty pleas all at the same time with no one in the media or public given prior notice. The Albuquerque DWI Enterprise is bad enough, we don’t need the US Attorney and federal courts acting in secret.  These dockets should be announced 24 hours in advance on Pacer so the media and interested citizens can be in the courtroom. It causes more harm to the local criminal justice system when the US Attorney and federal judges act in secret. The US Attorney and federal magistrates would do well to remember that the public's right to attend court proceedings are enshrined in the 1st and 6th amendments of the Constitution. 

Previously we reported of at least one media outlet complained to then-US Attorney Alexander Uballez about the lack of notification of the plea hearings. Now the plea to open up the pleas in the scandal falls to Acting US Attorney Holland Kastrin. 

In the meantime there are no "perp walks" of the convicted felons on TV, no reporters questioning them outside the courthouse and no reporting or drawings of the criminal proceedings from inside the court in the largest public corruption scandal in ABQ area history. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Rep. Stansbury

This pic of ABQ Dem Rep. Melanie Stansbury protesting Trump's speech before Congress last night is as divisive as it gets. So lets get to it.

Stansbury is the brightest bulb in the state's congressional delegation but she went over the cliff with her out-of-power party last night. 

Trump overpowered the Dems with his messaging while they were diverted by his personalty, sporting little protest signs and colorful dress leaving themselves open to ridicule, bemusement and Trump's always sharp arrows.

Stansbury joined a group of her colleagues in walking out of the speech. To what end? Her fans already know where she stands. There's no need to grandstand.

Simply put, the Dems bombed on the national stage. Everyone knows Trump is "not normal." So, what else you got?  It turns out not much from Stansbury and her fellow Dems who again tripped over themselves--almost comically--just as they did in losing the last election. Let's get serious, Melanie.

HEINRICH GOES MIA

Notably absent from President Trump's congressional speech last night was New Mexico senior Senator Martin Heinrich who explained his absence by declaring:

I’m not going to President Trump’s Joint Address. I’ll start attending when he starts following the law.

This is the latest in a series of maverick actions by Heinrich. 

First, he refused to endorse ABQ Dem. Rep. Melanie Stansbury for a promotion on the House Resources Committee (she didn't get it), then he played cat and mouse with Deb Haaland over running for Governor (he decided not to run) and now he's boycotted a presidential address that the other four members of the state's delegation attended. Do they believe that, unlike Heinrich, Trump is following the law?

The stakes for New Mexico in this year's federal budget battle are nearly immeasurable. Heinrich's new position as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee grows more crucial by the day with the White House looking under every rock for budget cuts. 

Heinrich started off on the right foot, getting a promise from the new secretary of energy to make a personal visit to Los Alamos Labs. The new Secretary did that only last month and even went to bat for the state in local media. And this is how you return the favor?

This is not about whether Heinrich believes Trump is following his constitutional duties. If he truly believes that than he should support impeachment. Showing respect for the presidential office does not mean showing respect for the current occupant so you show up. 

As longtime NM Democratic US Senator Jeff  Bingaman said back in the day when asked to boycott one of President George W. Bush's congressional speeches: "I have to go. It's my job." 

MLG VS. EVERYONE

Speaking of doing your job, Gov. Lujan Grisham, who raises important questions about legislative interference in running the Children Youth and Families Department, had six years to reform the troubled agency but either could not do it or would not.

That's why there is HB 5, a rare instance of the legislature ignoring executive authority by proposing to place a Child Advocate in the AG's office to provide intense and independent oversight over the long-troubled CYFD. The bill passed the House unanimously Tuesday and now goes to the Senate, 

Not that the House should be doing any chest-thumping. They turned away from the problem for six years, Only when MLG became a lame duck did they find their courage. 

The bill does have kinks--like placing the Advocate under the AG's wing and also in making sure the rights of CYFD workers are protected.

On the whole this is a badly needed bill. It could aid in getting the department dealing much more effectively with addressing childhood trauma which experts say often leads to adult drug addiction and crime. 

A constitutional amendment that would strip the Governor of her power to appoint the the CYFD director is unnecessary if a truly independent Advocate's office is established. 

MLG could still try to get on aboard with HB 5 and compromise but the train may now be moving too fast.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

The stocks of Maxeon Solar and Virgin Galactic are crashing to more all-time lows, signaling that they may soon be the latest in a decades-long string of failures by state and ABQ economic developers to land the big fish that could improve the private-sector economy.

Singapore-based Maxeon received accolades and promises of millions in incentives from leading politicos when they announced in 2023 their plans to build a $1 billion solar manufacturing facility near the ABQ Sunport. Since then there has been nothing but delays and bad news.

The now seemingly inevitable failure is nearing as Maxeon undergoes a radical restructuring and its market value plummets to a mere $56 million. The hope of an infusion of desperately needed federal grant money is fading while fossil fuels carry the day with the Trump administration whose tariffs are adding to the panic surrounding the company.

As for Virgin, the main tenant at the state's Spaceport America near T or C, they've been promising to send tourists up in space from the site for two decades. But billionaire founder Richard Branson months ago said he would no longer tap his own bank account to keep that dream alive. The company is on its own and this week Virgin stock also fell to record lows with a market value now reduced to $122 million from ten times that not long ago.

Virgin says they continue their work on a new space plane for future launches. But one wonders if that is more like a script for a Star Trek movie than a fact-based documentary.

POVERTY SPIN

The state's inability to build out a robust private sector is no more evident than in the new spin on the state's poverty level.

The Governor now says when federal grants and other public assistance like the state's many tax credits are included in household income, our poverty rae is not among the highest in the nation but sliced by one third.

It is gratifying that the state has come to the aid of those most in need and improved their basic security but that is not true economic success. It's an achievement of the ample welfare state that New Mexico has increasingly become. 

Bringing deprived citizens above the poverty line is essential but improving the quality of life in a more meaningful way requires robust economic development like we've seen in the states surrounding ours. 

That would be something to celebrate. 

Public support for the welfare state with billions in Medicaid dollars, tax credits, tuition breaks, free child care etc. is necessary to keep the motor running. But what looks like the impending doom of Maxeon and Virgin piled atop so many other failures only underscores that we can keep the state's motor running but the car itself is not road worthy.   

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Attorney Tom Clear

Tracking ongoing explosive developments in the massive DWI bribery scandal involving APD, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and the NM State Police is the busiest of news beats.

After the reveal that BernCo Sheriff John Allen received a $200 campaign contribution from paralegal and now convicted felon Rick Mendez, we have a look into the campaign contributions of attorney Tom Clear, the kingpin of the scandal that centered on his bribing of law enforcement officers to get his DWI clients off the hook. 

Both Clear and Mendez have pleaded guilty to federal charges and await sentencing.

We track Clear's campaign donations back to 1998, three years after the beginning of the decades-long bribery scheme. The campaign finance site OpenSecrets shows he made considerable contributions to a number of campaigns including two District Attorneys--Bernalillo County DA Raul Torrez and Sandoval County DA Lemuel Martinez. Earlier it was reported that current Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman received a $1,000 donation to his '24 campaign. After the disclosure, Bregman's office said the campaign returned Clear's check. 

Torrez was elected DA in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. In 2022, he ran for attorney general and assumed that office January 1, 2023. According to OpenSecrets, Torres' campaign for attorney general received a total of $3,000 in four separate donations from Clear in 2021 and 2022.

Martinez, who served as Sandoval County area DA for 20 years from 2001-2021 also received four campaign donations from Clear. They totaled $2,000 and were made in 2005-2006.

Thus far the DWI scandal has been centered in Bernalillo County with no cases emerging involving Sandoval County law enforcement. 

OTHER DONATIONS

Former Attorney General Hector Balderas, now president of Northern New Mexico College, is also listed by OpenSecrets as receiving campaign money from Clear. The two donations totaling $1,500 came in 2011 and were made to Balderas' campaign for the Democratic nomination for US Senate against Martin Heinrich. They were made when Balderas was State Auditor, the office he held before becoming AG.

Torrez, Martinez, Bregman and Balderas are Democrats but Clear also made donations to Republicans. 

He gave $2,000 to the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush; $100 to the 1998 campaign of gubernatorial candidate Gary Johnson and $100 to the 2010 gubernatorial campaign of Susana Martinez.

When it was discovered Allen's campaign had received that $200 from paralegal Mendez his campaign spokeswoman said it would "be ridiculous" to think the contribution meant he had any knowledge of the DWI bribery scandal. She said Allen has since donated the $200 to MADD, a group that fights drunk driving, 

Politicians receive campaign contributions from a wide array of individuals and getting one from someone who later gets in trouble with the law is not extraordinary. In this case it does not mean those receiving Clear's contributions had anything to do with the scandal.  But with the state facing one of the worst corruption cases in its history, transparency is the order of the day in all public activities of the now notorious attorney Tom Clear.

ALLEN'S BAD WEEK 

Sheriff Allen and Mendez

Sheriff John Allen has twisted and turned and raged and ranted since his department's role in the DWI bribery scandal has broadened. 

At a boisterous news conference last week (video here), Allen even went after the media, saying he felt "defamed" by the news coverage and in particular a photo that surfaced showing Allen in a shoulder to shoulder embrace with DWI bribery felon Rick Mendez. 

The pic was taken at a lunch also attended by his Undersheriff who has since been forced to resign and is facing legal peril because of the scandal. Also, a Sheriff's deputy has joined the growing list of law enforcement officers copping pleas to federal bribery charges.

Allen denies any knowledge of the scandal at the time of that lunch. In an earlier media interview he described Mendez as "a friend." He now says Mendez is a "piece of crap." 

The photo and Allen's various media appearances demonstrate the devastating optics that this scandal can and will have.

Allen has walked back his criticism of the feds for keeping him out of the loop on their DWI investigation. We questioned why he would expect sensitive information to be shared with him when suspects work in is department.

At the news conference Allen, citing Undersheriff Jareno's ouster and targeting by the feds, said he now "of course" understands why he was kept in the dark.

Allen's bad week--he says it was "a very emotional one"--included an attack on him from Republican Paul Pacheco who ran for and lost the sheriff's office to Allen in 2022. Pacheco is a retired APD cop. While his hit on Allen was politically timely his own service at the corruption-riddled APD would be a story line if he decides to run for Sheriff in 2026.

Sheriff Allen is a newcomer to La Politica, holding an office that is not often under intense scrutiny. But like the Santa Fe sheriff's office that has had to deal with the Alec Baldwin case and now the high-profile death of famed action Gene Hackman, he is being tested on all fronts. His outburst over the reporting of his activities is over the top but nothing that a few deep breaths shouldn't be able to keep in check. 

The Sheriff's task is now to be a reformer as well as a protector of his department. One without the other is not going to cut it. 

Here's more on Allen's really bad week. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.