Bedonie responds after Stop MLG PAC files ethics complaint

On Thursday, it was announced that Stop MLG PAC, a political action committee associated with a Republican Party of Santa Fe County Vice-Chairman Brett Kokinadis, filed an ethics complaint against Republican-turned Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Karen Bedonie over “unlawfully coordinated independent expenditures.” 

The complaint also targeted “Private Persons of New Mexico,” a group that is purported to have paid for advertisements, including billboards but does not have registration with the State of New Mexico as a political committee. 

According to Stop MLG PAC:

The candidate has posted on her individual and campaign’s social media other works similar to the Billboard and signs marked as “Paid for By Private Citizens of New Mexico” (“PCNM”), indicating that the candidate’s committee has potentially:

1) Coordinated with Private Citizens of New Mexico in the production of the advertising materials or;

2) Created the advertising materials for Private Citizens of New Mexico or;

3) The candidate’s campaign committee is operating as Private Citizens of New Mexico and attempting to conceal the true and unreported funding source for paid advertisements or;

4) Coordinated with Private Citizens of New Mexico in the production and paid placement of advertisements and collateral.

“Dark money has no place in New Mexico or politics. Ensuring compliance and remaining transparent and honest with voters is required by law and is every candidate’s responsibility. Like Governor Grisham, Karen Bedonie demonstrates that her campaign believes it is excluded from complying with state law.”, Kokinadis said.

Kokinadis continued, “Bedonie’s campaign appears to be operating under her official committee and with the support of coordinated dark money under the unlawful Private Persons of New Mexico label, potentially to conceal funding sources. Voters are entitled to know who’s funding Bedonie’s campaign.”

The complaint alleges that the Independent Expenditure is unreported, unlawfully coordinated, and attempts to conceal the true identity of the responsible person(s) and funding sources. The PAC told the Piñon Post its case in under preliminary review with the Commission.

Following the complaint and requests for comment submitted by the Piñon Post, Bedonie posted a statement on social media. It reads, in full:

​​Today, we are faced with another carpetbagging attempt to drive fear, tarnish and impede the people’s campaign by wanting to control our dedication to our New Mexican life. The will of this stunt is to stop the only conservative candidate in the race. This highlights the underlying mission of the infiltrated Republican Party. The STOPMLG organization and PAC (controlled and misrepresented by transplant Kokinadis) are peculiarly aligning to stop the only true New Mexican candidate that can beat the incumbent. His organization should stop lying and rename it STOPBEDONIE. 

Let this statement dismiss accusations of “Dark Money” being used to support the Bedonie Campaign based on the simple respect of the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is with great appreciation and enjoyment that I congratulate you on the execution of your FREEDOM and LIBERTY to show your dedication and inspirationtional acts of your beautiful American voices the best way you see fit. 

The criminalization of such acts of FREEDOM shall now take foreground and the accused will now fully realize the dirty hands of the players of their Republican Party of New Mexico. You have done nothing wrong. Rest your worries and know, they can not take my candidacy based on exercising your constitutional right(s). 

This complaint launched as well as the support of the salivating media shows the willingness to silence the “will” of the people and your voices. If this complaint is entertained, let them try to weakly criminalize every New Mexican that chooses the First Amendment from the private proclamations, to the youth who lovingly designed the media in question, to the children who use their allowances to paint rocks. There is no difference, your voice, big or small, matters. Do not let them discourage you. You are the PEOPLE. With all my spirit and confidence, onward we will move. 

The complaint can be read here.