Piñon Post

See how N.M.’s three U.S. reps. voted on failed move to impeach Trump

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a stunning rebuke to the far-left’s latest effort to take down President Donald Trump, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to block a radical impeachment resolution pushed by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas). Green, a frequent Trump antagonist, attempted to impeach the president over his recent military strikes on Iranian targets — a move even most Democrats refused to support. Green is known for being thrown out of the President’s speech in front of Congress earlier this year because he attempted to scream and cause havoc in the chamber.

The resolution, which accused Trump of “abuse of power” for ordering precision strikes on Iranian military sites without prior congressional approval, was swiftly tabled by a bipartisan majority in a 344-79 vote. Notably, 128 Democrats joined Republicans in shutting down the resolution, signaling a clear lack of support for Green’s latest anti-Trump crusade.

But in a disturbing reflection of how far left New Mexico’s congressional delegation has veered, Reps. Melanie Stansbury of the First District and Teresa Leger Fernandez of the Third District both voted in favor of the impeachment push, siding with Green and extremist voices like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). In contrast, Rep. Gabe Vasquez of the Second District — who often toes the progressive line — broke ranks and voted with the majority to table the measure, opting not to support the baseless impeachment effort, likely for reelection efforts to attempt to fruitlessly claim “bipartisanship.” Trump won the Second District by two points in last year’s presidential election.

Green’s resolution was riddled with inflammatory language, accusing Trump of violating the Constitution by “usurping Congress’s power to declare war” and implying that the President’s defensive military action amounted to a “de facto declaration of war.” He further claimed Trump “abused the powers of the presidency” by acting without a formal declaration from Congress.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shot back at the far-left’s allegations with a firm constitutional defense of the president’s actions.

“Let me be as clear as possible: The strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were clearly within President Trump’s Article II powers as Commander in Chief,” Johnson stated. “It shouldn’t even be in dispute.”

Trump’s decisive action received praise from the White House as a demonstration of “peace through strength” — a stark contrast to the weak, indecisive foreign policy often embraced by Democrats.

“President Trump was able to quickly accomplish what no other President has been able to achieve – thanks to his ‘peace through strength’ leadership, Iran’s nuclear program has been obliterated and a ceasefire has been agreed to,” said White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers. “Eliminating the prospect of nuclear war is a non-partisan and unifying accomplishment that everyone should celebrate.”

Still, progressive radicals like Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pushed for further limits on executive military authority. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a frequent critic of foreign intervention, echoed constitutional concerns but did not support impeachment — hours after President Trump vowed to take him out in a primary like he successfully did with former Rep. Liz Cheney, who worked with Democrats to jab at the President’s America First agenda.

While Congress ultimately rejected this latest politically motivated impeachment stunt, the fact that two of New Mexico’s three Democrat representatives backed it should concern voters. Stansbury and Leger Fernandez once again proved they are more interested in grandstanding with radical coastal elites than standing up for American strength, security, or constitutional clarity. Only Rep. Vasquez, likely due to the risk of reelection, voted to table the measure, although it is sure to anger his far-left base.

See how N.M.’s three U.S. reps. voted on failed move to impeach Trump Read More »

NM is dead last in child well-being—But MLG claims we’re leading

21 Comments / Editorial, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a desperate attempt to paper over New Mexico’s dead-last ranking in child well-being, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took to social media this weekend to share a gaslighting op-ed from two of her newfound allies—State Sen. Bill Sharer and child care center operator Barbara Luna Tedrow—claiming that New Mexico is “not last” in child welfare. The claim flies in the face of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s most recent Kids Count report, which once again places the Land of Enchantment dead last for child well-being.

“Studies and rankings may not reflect this progress immediately because transformative change takes time,” Lujan Grisham posted on X. “But make no mistake, New Mexico is making progress on behalf of its children.” The post reads like classic political spin from an administration under fire.

What the governor conveniently ignores is that the Kids Count report is not some fly-by-night survey. It is a respected, comprehensive review of state-by-state indicators like child poverty, education, health, and family stability—areas where New Mexico has repeatedly failed. But rather than confront the data, the Lujan Grisham regime has chosen to manufacture its own version of “success,” propped up by loyalists and political allies.

One of those allies is State Sen. Bill Sharer, who previously attempted to hike alcohol taxes—a move that disproportionately hurts working families—and stood in vehement opposition to calls for Lujan Grisham’s impeachment after she unconstitutionally suspended Second Amendment rights in 2023. Now, Sharer is moonlighting as a spin doctor, teaming up with Tedrow, the owner of A Gold Star Academy & Child Development Center, to claim New Mexico is a “national success story.”

Their op-ed praises taxpayer-funded socialist “free” daycare expansions at Gold Star’s Farmington locations and state subsidies that allow for employee benefits. But what it fails to mention is that these programs—however well-intentioned—have done nothing to reverse the state’s abysmal child outcomes on a macro level. No amount of anecdotal feel-good stories from one provider will change the fact that New Mexico still leads the nation in childhood poverty and lags far behind in educational attainment.

What’s more, the op-ed reeks of self-interest. Tedrow’s child care center has benefited handsomely from government dollars, with expansion to five facilities and lavish wage and benefit increases. Of course she’s going to claim New Mexico is “leading”—her business depends on it.

Meanwhile, families across the state continue to suffer the consequences of failed leadership. Crime is rampant. Educational outcomes remain among the worst in the nation. And child poverty is still shockingly high. Yet Lujan Grisham and her allies want the public to ignore all of that because a handful of daycare centers added a few hundred spots.

It’s a shameful attempt to gaslight the public into accepting mediocrity—or worse, celebrating it. New Mexicans don’t need propaganda. They need accountability, real reform, and a governor who takes responsibility for the state’s failures instead of spinning them as victories.

No amount of glossy op-eds will change the truth: under Lujan Grisham’s leadership, New Mexico is not leading—it’s losing.

NM is dead last in child well-being—But MLG claims we’re leading Read More »

MLG’s secret email purge: 30-day policy could bury public records for good

22 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration is under fire after quietly implementing a sweeping new email deletion policy that critics warn could block the public from accessing vital records and communications within state government.

As first reported last week, the New Mexico Department of Information Technology (DoIT) drastically reduced the time deleted emails are kept on file, from one year to just 30 days. After that, they will be “permanently purged,” eliminating the opportunity for journalists, watchdog groups, and citizens to request or recover those communications under public records laws.

A memo obtained by The Santa Fe New Mexican confirms that the policy applies to the “Executive Branch Microsoft 365 tenant,” a technical term encompassing all cabinet-level agencies and their affiliated offices—essentially every agency directly under Gov. Lujan Grisham’s control.

Pressed for details, DoIT offered a statement soaked in bureaucratic jargon. But the intent behind the move couldn’t be clearer: erase the digital paper trail as quickly as possible and make it harder for the public to hold the government accountable.

“DoIT recently made a change to the default period during which deleted emails are retained before they are permanently deleted,” the agency said. “This was to better manage the state’s digital storage space and avoid unnecessary retention of emails that do not fall under the records retention requirements of the State Commission of Public Records Rule 1.21.2 NMAC.”

In other words, the administration claims it’s about saving space—yet this so-called “efficiency” comes at the expense of transparency. Critics say the new rule could allow public officials to delete sensitive communications and wait out the 30-day clock before anyone knows to request them.

Worse still, DoIT put the burden on individual agencies to request longer retention periods if they “feel” they need more time to back up essential records. “If an agency feels that they cannot back up all emails that should not have been deleted within thirty days,” the department noted, “they can contact DoIT and DoIT will set a longer retention time for that agency.”

The move appears designed to create confusion and loopholes, allowing selective preservation of records while giving agencies under Lujan Grisham’s control cover to delete inconvenient emails quickly and quietly.

“It is the responsibility of each agency to manage its own records,” DoIT concluded, effectively shielding the governor from responsibility if critical documents vanish.

With this new policy, the Lujan Grisham regime has laid the groundwork for an iron curtain of secrecy over state government. It’s a calculated step away from transparency and a slap in the face to every New Mexican who expects honesty and openness from public servants.

MLG’s secret email purge: 30-day policy could bury public records for good Read More »

Photo rendering of the proposed Holtec consolidated interim storage facility courtesy of Holtec International.

SCOTUS decides fate of Holtec’s planned spent fuel site in NM

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major ruling Wednesday that reopens the path for temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico, rejecting a lower court’s attempt to block the project. 

The 6-3 decision reversed a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that had invalidated a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license for a similar facility in West Texas.

The decision also breathes new life into plans for a nearly identical site just across the state line in New Mexico’s Lea County, about 40 miles from the Texas site. The facility, spearheaded by Holtec International, would store spent nuclear fuel, material left over from nuclear reactors, temporarily.

Holtec, a Florida-based company specializing in nuclear decommissioning and fuel storage, secured a license from the NRC for its New Mexico facility near Carlsbad. The license permits operation for 40 years, with the option for a 40-year renewal. 

Although the Court’s ruling is not a final endorsement of the license, it removes a significant legal obstacle that had stalled progress.

The Supreme Court’s ruling comes amid a growing national backlog of spent nuclear fuel. More than 100,000 tons of the material are currently stored at nuclear plant sites across the country, some of which date back to the 1980s. 

That amount increases by roughly 2,000 tons each year. The nation’s long-term plan to permanently store the material at Yucca Mountain in Nevada remains stalled due to political opposition, particularly from Nevada officials and residents.

New Mexico’s own leftist political leadership has strongly opposed the Holtec project. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was among those resisting the NRC’s licensing decisions. 

The heavily Democrat-dominated New Mexico Legislature has even passed legislation aimed at blocking high-level nuclear waste storage within the state’s borders. However, this is now nullified due to the Court’s decision.

Holtec welcomed the Court’s ruling as “a significant win for the nuclear industry,” saying it confirmed the NRC’s long-held authority to issue licenses for offsite storage of spent nuclear fuel. The company emphasized that the ruling would help prevent prolonged litigation aimed at delaying the implementation of safe storage solutions.

SCOTUS decides fate of Holtec’s planned spent fuel site in NM Read More »

Lawsuit over illegal alien insurance scheme survives legal hurdle

10 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A lawsuit seeking to expose the inner workings of a government-backed health coverage scheme that would provide insurance to illegal aliens and other uninsurable individuals will move forward, after a New Mexico judge denied a motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday. The ruling by Second Judicial District Judge Daniel Ramczyk allows plaintiffs to proceed with their claims that the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool (NMMIP) violated both the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA).

The lawsuit, brought by businessman Duke Rodriguez—a former Cabinet secretary and potential Republican gubernatorial candidate—and Kristina Caffrey, chief legal officer at Ultra Health, targets what they call a deliberate attempt to conceal the operations of the NMMIP from public scrutiny. The pool was created by the Legislature in 1987 to provide health insurance to high-risk individuals with severe or costly medical conditions. Yet questions persist as to whether it is a public agency subject to transparency laws or merely a private nonprofit operating with public funds behind closed doors.

In defense of the NMMIP, attorney Carlos Padilla claimed it is a “nonprofit organization wholly independent of state government,” arguing that while the pool may voluntarily comply with some transparency practices, it is not legally required to do so. However, plaintiffs argue that this position is intentionally contradictory. The pool accepted a $1.75 million no-bid contract from the state’s Health Care Authority in February under the guise of a “governmental services agreement”—a contract form typically reserved for transactions between state agencies. This contract was explicitly intended to launch a coverage expansion that would extend state-subsidized health insurance to illegal aliens and other high-risk groups.

Attorney Jacob Candelaria, representing Rodriguez and Caffrey, called the state’s subsequent cancellation of the contract a “classic attempt at a movida,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. After granting the agreement without public input or a competitive bidding process, the state suddenly reversed course, citing the fact that NMMIP is “not a governmental or quasi-governmental agency.” Candelaria didn’t hold back, saying bluntly, “They got their hands caught in the cookie jar.”

At the center of the NMMIP is its acting executive director, former state Rep. Deborah Armstrong, a far-left Albuquerque Democrat and close political ally of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Armstrong is also the owner of a private firm that manages all of the pool’s contractors under a lucrative executive services contract. In a prior interview, Armstrong downplayed the controversy, claiming that the Health Care Authority simply misunderstood the nature of the pool’s structure, which she described as “legislatively created, nonprofit, and without hardly anything that would tie us directly to the government.”

But this isn’t the first time the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool has drawn scrutiny. In fact, its past is marked by numerous red flags. From 2014 to 2017, Armstrong’s firm, Delta Consulting Group, was paid over $2 million in taxpayer money to administer the program, even as enrollment plummeted from 8,500 to just 2,400 participants. The premiums charged by the pool were routinely higher than those on the private market, yet often covered only a fraction of the actual claims. In 2013 alone, premiums covered less than 20% of the total cost of claims, leaving taxpayers and insurance ratepayers to foot the rest of the bill. Meanwhile, budget analysts repeatedly warned that the pool had outlived its usefulness after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which made high-risk pools largely obsolete by providing more comprehensive and affordable coverage options.

Yet the program persisted—fueled by political connections and backroom deals. Rather than wind down the pool, Armstrong and Lujan Grisham advocated to keep it alive, despite its financial inefficiencies and questionable benefits for New Mexico residents. With millions in public funds flowing into a politically connected nonprofit that refuses to be transparent, critics argue the NMMIP has become less about helping vulnerable patients and more about enriching a select few insiders.

The current lawsuit aims to force long-overdue accountability. Rodriguez and Caffrey argue that any entity created by the Legislature and receiving public funds should be subject to the same openness and transparency as any other state agency, especially when those funds are being used to provide benefits to individuals living in the country illegally. As the case moves forward, it will test not only the integrity of New Mexico’s sunshine laws but also the public’s willingness to tolerate politically protected entities operating in the shadows with taxpayer dollars.

Lawsuit over illegal alien insurance scheme survives legal hurdle Read More »

Lawsuit accuses Bregman’s campaign manager of shady spending scheme

25 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A new civil lawsuit from the New Mexico State Ethics Commission is shedding an unflattering light on a left-wing “dark money” group closely tied to Democrat leadership, raising serious questions about transparency and legal compliance in the state’s political landscape.

The group, New Mexico Safety Over Profit (NMSOP), stands accused of failing to report more than $56,000 spent lobbying against a critical medical malpractice reform bill. The Ethics Commission alleges NMSOP violated the Lobbyist Regulation Act and Campaign Reporting Act by omitting the campaign from their required post-session disclosures.

What makes this case especially telling is the political connection: NMSOP’s executive director, Jon Lipschutz, just happens to be managing anti-gun Democrat gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman’s campaign. Bregman, who currently serves as the 2nd Judicial District Attorney, did not respond to requests for comment Monday morning.

Originally formed under the more benign-sounding name Fairness for New Mexico Patients, NMSOP is registered as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, meaning it’s not legally required to disclose its donors under federal law. These types of groups, often used by the left to shield major funders from public scrutiny, are commonly referred to as dark money organizations.

Despite their federal tax status, NMSOP is still obligated to comply with New Mexico’s campaign finance laws—a fact the Ethics Commission emphasized in its June 10 civil complaint filed in state court. According to the commission, the organization did report some of its political spending during the 2025 legislative session, but conspicuously omitted reporting an aggressive advertising campaign aimed at derailing medical malpractice reform.

Those ads reportedly included placements in the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican, as well as a staggering $56,000 worth of political ads on Facebook. The commission is seeking a court order to compel NMSOP to fully disclose its 2024 financial activities, including revealing the names and occupations of donors to the campaign, and to impose a penalty of $5,000.

Lipschutz dismissed the lawsuit as a “distraction” and claimed his group is confident it followed the law. He pivoted to attacking out-of-state hospitals and insurance companies, saying it was “telling” that the Ethics Commission had chosen to “single out the one organization fighting to protect patients.”

But the Ethics Commission wasn’t buying that deflection. Executive Director Jeremy Farris made clear the issue is about transparency and accountability. “NMSOP has publicly stated that transparency and accountability are core to its mission, yet it refuses to comply with basic disclosure obligations,” he said. “This lawsuit is about ensuring that all organizations advocating for legislative change follow the same legal standard.”

While Democrats in New Mexico and nationwide rail against so-called “dark money” when it suits their agenda, this case shows how willing they are to embrace opaque and potentially unlawful methods when the political ends justify the means. Voters should ask themselves: If Democrats can’t be trusted to follow basic campaign finance laws now, how can they be trusted to lead the state?

Lawsuit accuses Bregman’s campaign manager of shady spending scheme Read More »

US Attorney: 11 illegals locked up, ransomed, threatened by Cartel in NM

10 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a disturbing yet telling case that highlights the dire need for strong border enforcement, two criminal aliens are now facing federal charges in New Mexico for harboring and smuggling illegal immigrants — a direct result of the failed, one-term Biden administration’s weak border policies and a stark reminder of why President Trump’s tough-on-crime, tough-on-border-security agenda is more necessary than ever.

According to a press release from the Department of Justice and the unsealed indictment, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar were arrested following an FBI-led operation that uncovered a disturbing kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in Albuquerque. The duo allegedly ran a stash house holding 11 illegal immigrants, including an unaccompanied minor, in inhumane conditions. Victims reported being locked in rooms, threatened with violence or with being handed over to the brutal Zeta Cartel — a transnational criminal organization known for its savage brutality.

It all began on March 1, 2025, when the FBI received a complaint about a kidnapping. The perpetrators demanded a ransom of 90,000 Guatemalan quetzales (approximately $11,600 USD) and threatened to transfer the victim to the Zeta Cartel if payment wasn’t received. In an effort to terrorize the family into compliance, “proof of life” videos were sent showing the victim in captivity.

By March 2, federal agents used phone data to locate the hideout — a barely furnished residence in southwest Albuquerque packed with over 20 cell phones, a smuggling ledger, and the terrified detainees. Victims identified both Jose and Gaspar as the ringleaders who made the ransom videos and enforced the threats.

They were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324 — charges that could land them each up to five years in prison. The case is being prosecuted under “Operation Take Back America,” an aggressive Department of Justice initiative designed to root out human smuggling rings, dismantle cartel networks, and defend American communities from the chaos unleashed by illegal immigration.

This case underscores a hard truth: human smugglers and cartel-linked traffickers are not only exploiting America’s open-border policies, they are bringing their violent tactics deep into our cities, and people are paying the price.

While the Biden administration turned a blind eye and continued dismantling Trump-era enforcement policies (which are now restored), this arrest is a stark reminder of why strong, uncompromising immigration enforcement is essential to American safety and sovereignty. President Trump’s leadership and Operation Take Back America offer a blueprint for restoring law and order and securing our borders once and for all.

New Mexicans should be proud of and support these federal efforts to crack down on human trafficking and illegal immigration. It’s time to build the wall, secure the border, and deport those who violate our nation’s laws — before more innocent lives are put at risk.

To read more about the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and read the indictment, click here.

US Attorney: 11 illegals locked up, ransomed, threatened by Cartel in NM Read More »

‘86 47’: Radical leftists call for Trump’s death at NM ‘No Kings’ protests

44 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Saturday, far-left extremists descended on cities across New Mexico as part of the so-called “No Kings” protests — a loosely coordinated attack on President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the U.S. Constitution, and the very fabric of civil society. While organizers claimed the demonstrations were a “peaceful” response to what they falsely allege is Trump’s desire to become a monarch, the reality was far darker — and far more dangerous.

In Albuquerque, protesters carried severed heads of President Trump on spikes and held up signs depicting guillotines, a not-so-subtle call for violent political revolution. The shocking displays were topped only by the desecration of the American flag — flown upside down in multiple locations — while Mexican flags were hoisted in its place, a deliberate signal of contempt for American sovereignty and patriotism.

At one protest, a woman was photographed wearing a sash reading “86 47,” an unmistakable code suggesting the assassination of the 45th and 47th president of the United States.

In Santa Fe, outside the Roundhouse, demonstrators paraded with crudely made, misspelled signs, including one that read: “R WE GREAT YE?” — an ironic twist for those claiming to oppose authoritarianism while simultaneously calling for political violence.

Violence wasn’t just symbolic — it was literal. In Las Cruces, a Trump supporter reported being assaulted by leftist demonstrators on motorcycles. The victim described the harrowing incident on X, writing:

“Just got assaulted and rushed by some bikers here in Las Cruces. They stole my MAGA Flag. I was in my car at an intersection. The light was red. Right by the District Court building.”

A police report was reportedly filed on the altercation. 

These disturbing acts come in the wake of nationwide leftist riots, most recently in Los Angeles, where criminal aliens and anarchists clashed with federal agents, burning buildings and land, setting police cars on fire, looting local shops and stores, and taking over streets in a forceful rage. But instead of condemning the lawlessness, New Mexico’s Democrat leaders have poured fuel on the fire. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vigorously defended anti-ICE rioters. Even more outrageously, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich was caught on video calling police officers “f—ing thugs,” shocking law-abiding New Mexicans and revealing the Democrat Party’s growing hostility toward law enforcement.

These “No Kings” protests were intentionally timed to coincide with Flag Day, the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, and President Trump’s birthday — a calculated act of provocation. Instead of celebrating America, protesters celebrated anarchy. Instead of peaceful dissent, they chose mayhem.

As Democrats continue to coddle and embolden radicals, it’s clear the “No Kings” movement isn’t about resisting tyranny — it’s about ushering it in through chaos, intimidation, and violence.

‘86 47’: Radical leftists call for Trump’s death at NM ‘No Kings’ protests Read More »

Lujan Grisham fueled LA riots — Now she wants ‘order’ in NM

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Just days after defending violent anti-Trump agitators in Los Angeles who attacked federal agents and torched city blocks, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is now laughably claiming she has “zero tolerance” for violence during upcoming protests across the Land of Enchantment.

Following the lawless chaos in L.A., where criminal illegal aliens and leftist extremists clashed with federal officers, Lujan Grisham signed on to a Democratic Governors Association (DGA) statement blasting President Trump for deploying the National Guard to restore order. The DGA outrageously accused Trump of “abusing power,” while completely ignoring the fact that federal agents were under siege and risking their lives to stop the insurrection.

Critics swiftly condemned the Democrat governors’ defense of the mob. “Every Democrat governor just endorsed lawlessness and chaos on American streets,” wrote the Republican Governors Association. “Putting people’s lives at risk.”

Lujan Grisham’s own record leaves no room for ambiguity. From removing National Guard troops from New Mexico’s southern border on day one of her governorship, to mocking Trump’s border wall in a campaign stunt, and more recently, signing laws to shield criminal aliens and permit non-citizens to police U.S. citizens, she has consistently sided with open borders and against law enforcement.

Now, as “No Kings Day” protests spread across New Mexico this weekend—with events planned in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Alamogordo, and more—Lujan Grisham is suddenly posturing as the enforcer of law and order.

Asked by KOAT what she expects from the protests, the governor declared: “Demonstrate their opinions in a peaceful, meaningful way, and we will have zero tolerance for violence and illegal acts.”

But the protests she’s now pretending to police are being fueled by the same far-left forces she defended just days earlier. These “No Kings” events are part of the so-called “50501 Movement”—a coalition of radical progressive activists staging anti-Trump demonstrations across all 50 states, including at least 17 locations in New Mexico alone on June 14.

While organizers claim the events are peaceful, they are bankrolled by some of the most extreme groups on the left: the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the League of Conservation Voters, the Human Rights Campaign, Bernie Sanders’ campaign network, the far-left “Center for Biological Diversity,” and even the “Patriotic Millionaires” who push anti-capitalist policies while living in luxury. These are the same kinds of dark-money-backed entities that fueled violence in L.A., where anarchists, criminal aliens, and Antifa-aligned mobs openly attacked law enforcement.

Here in New Mexico, the movement is using the occasion of Flag Day—also President Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army—to sow division and provoke unrest. Their own rhetoric makes it clear. “The wannabe dictator wants a party? Well then, let’s show him some ‘love,’” one post read on social media.

The movement brags that it’s organizing protests “everywhere he isn’t” while calling for “no thrones, no crowns, no kings”—language that critics say is designed to incite rather than inspire.

And New Mexicans are right to be wary. Under Lujan Grisham’s far-left administration, crime has surged so severely that she had to call in the National Guard to help control the streets of Albuquerque—a city already suffering under Democrat Mayor Tim Keller’s failed leadership. Now, those same streets may become the next front in a nationwide campaign of coordinated chaos.

Despite all this, Lujan Grisham wants the public to believe she’s suddenly against violence. After helping stoke the flames of rebellion in Los Angeles, her last-minute pivot to “zero tolerance” rings hollow.

New Mexicans won’t be fooled. They know exactly where their governor stands—and it isn’t with law enforcement or the law-abiding public. It’s with the mob.

Lujan Grisham fueled LA riots — Now she wants ‘order’ in NM Read More »

Gabe Vasquez muzzles voters on X — then blames Elon Musk

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

As elected officials across New Mexico keep their social media channels open for public feedback, including sharp criticism, far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of Las Cruces has chosen a different path: censorship.

Vasquez, the only member of New Mexico’s congressional delegation to disable public comments on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, is drawing fire for what critics call a clear attempt to dodge accountability and avoid tough questions. While fellow Democrats like Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Melanie Stansbury allow public engagement, despite the often rough-and-tumble nature of online discourse (for obvious reasons), Vasquez has instead hidden behind a selective, tightly controlled narrative.

Even Stansbury, who faced widespread backlash for holding a performative “This is not normal” sign during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in March, didn’t shut down public discourse. The moment, captured in a viral image showing Texas Rep. Lance Gooden snatching the sign away, drew more than 24,000 replies. Stansbury’s reaction? She doubled down on transparency.

“Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy and enshrined in our Constitution,” Stansbury said, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. “That is why I will always be an advocate for free speech, whether I agree with what is being said or not.”

In sharp contrast, Vasquez has taken the coward’s way out — hiding behind an arbitrary “policy” that claims his X account is “not a public forum.” His office blames Elon Musk, citing a decline in “monitoring and quality” since Musk acquired the platform. But instead of owning his own aversion to public scrutiny, Vasquez is using Musk as a convenient scapegoat — a move that reeks of political cowardice.

“The purpose of this [X account] is for Rep. Vasquez to communicate… It is not a public forum,” his social media policy reads. In other words: He talks, you listen. No replies allowed.

This heavy-handed approach is especially troubling given that Vasquez represents New Mexico’s only swing district and barely eked out victories in both of his races under suspicious circumstances. His refusal to engage transparently with constituents on one of the most widely used platforms in politics only deepens concerns about his fitness for office.

While his spokesperson claims he’s “talking to residents every day” about issues like rising costs and healthcare, the congressman’s actions online paint a different picture: one of an elected official more concerned with controlling his image than hearing from the people he represents. It is also implausible he is “talking to residents every day” unless he pledges to answer phones or have direct contact with New Mexicans who visit his office each and every day (unlikely), making his lack of openness on social media that much more opaque for voters.

By contrast, even far-left figures like lame duck Gov. Lujan Grisham maintain open comment sections. “The comments section isn’t always for the faint of heart,” her office acknowledged. “But the Governor is committed to transparency and accessibility.”

Apparently, Vasquez isn’t.

As he hides behind firewalls and PR spin, voters should be asking: What is Gabe Vasquez so afraid of? Why does he fear public input on a platform where others in his own party remain unfiltered and accessible?

If his policies are truly helping everyday New Mexicans, he shouldn’t need to muzzle dissent. But by silencing critics and blaming Elon Musk for his own lack of transparency, Vasquez is showing his true colors — and they’re anything but democratic.

Gabe Vasquez muzzles voters on X — then blames Elon Musk Read More »

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