As NM families struggled, MLG had swanky taxpayer-funded dinner party

While New Mexicans suffered one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates, record-high inflation, and soaring gas prices Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled to Scotland for a “climate change” summit called “COP26,” which focused on funding climate change extremism through cooperation between global stakeholders.

At the Scotland event, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced radical job-killing proposals she aims to ram through the 2022 Legislative Session that will not only cripple New Mexico’s energy economy but will harm the poor in significant ways. Many of her cabinet secretaries and staff joined her.

At the time, the Governor’s spokeswoman Nora Sackett bragged about how the taxpayers would not be funding the trip, claiming a climate change dark money group would be footing the bill instead.

However, once Lujan Grisham arrived back in New Mexico, Inspection of Public Records Act requests revealed that in early November, right after she got back from the vacation-style “climate” excursion, the taxpayers footed the bill for a swanky seven-person dinner party at the Governor’s Mansion. 

According to the documents obtained in the IPRA, the taxpayers paid Abobo Catering $1,057.27 for the party, totaling over $150 for each person’s expensive meal.

The menu included “[s]ous vide and butter-basted beef tenderloin with roasted vegetable Napoleon and rosemary red wine demiglace.” Dessert included a “chocolate pear tartlet with hazelnut crisp.” According to the memo, the bar, bar supplies, and “dinner wine” were provided by the “client,” i.e. possibly the taxpayers in another form. 

There is no mention of this gathering on Lujan Grisham’s public schedule. 

Western States Director for the pro-energy group Power The Future wrote regarding the Governor’s lavish taxpayer-funded meal, “As if her junket to Scotland wasn’t enough, the Governor decided the taxpayers also need to foot the bill for an extravagant dinner. For Michelle Lujan Grisham to spend days demonizing our energy industry in Europe only to turn around and use the funds it generates for a lavish dinner tells you all you need to know about her hypocrisy.” 

Throughout the pandemic, Lujan Grisham has broken her lockdown orders to buy lavish jewelry and she spent thousands in taxpayer dollars on $200/lb Wagyu beef steaks, fine wine, and liquor. This all came as New Mexicans were forced to stand in bread lines during the holidays due to her strict 75-person capacity limit in grocery stores.

After her taxpayer-funded Wagy and fine wine spending, she gave what some characterize as an apology, saying, “When people are struggling, should it be fair that residents (of the governor’s mansion) literally have a locked-up grocery store closet … that has libations and catering stuff and food?” 

“I don’t want New Mexicans to feel like I don’t take seriously their hardship,” she added at the time. It does not appear she is taking their hardship seriously now, as at least 40% of small businesses in the state have been closed and New Mexicans still struggle to survive, especially as winter is coming and the cost of staying warm has risen exponentially. 

The Piñon Post reached out to the Governor’s office for comment but has not yet received a response. If a statement is provided, this story will be updated.