New Mexico

Gov. MLG dismisses $250 million labor dept. overpayments as ‘minuscule,’ tries to discredit LFC

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In a surprise and a rather uncharacteristic move, television station KOB 4 called out embattled Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for her silence on the overpayment of $250 million in taxpayer dollars through the Department of Workforce Solutions under then-secretary Bill McCamley during the viral outbreak beginning in early 2020. 

The station’s headline for Lujan Grisham’s silence amid the crisis read, “Gov. Lujan Grisham nowhere to be seen amid unemployment overpayment crisis.” It also noted how the Governor’s office has “declined to make the governor available for an interview” to address the multi-million dollar mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.

The station asked her office the following questions: 

  • Her response to the hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment overpayments.
  • Does she believe we can fairly recoup these millions of dollars?
  • What she thought about some of the serious claims of threats and violence raised by the former Workforce Solutions secretary? 
  • When is she in appointing a new permanent Workforce Solutions secretary, and what is she looking for in that next person?

In a response from the Governor’s office through press secretary Nora Sackett, KOB 4 was provided with the following statement: 

Despite what the LFC may have reported, and despite the way it was covered, it is not accurate to say the state overpaid benefits by $250 million, as the acting secretary explained in detail to KOB last night, or that these were necessarily the “state’s mistakes,” as you describe them. 

The LFC’s calculation used an overpayment rate derived from random sampling. The Department of Workforce Solutions, meanwhile, computes the number daily from actual claims – and the amount overpaid is $105 million. The overwhelming majority of overpayments derived from the federal PUA benefits program, which was a program created at the federal level specific to the pandemic, a new and complicated program that created an environment where, because of misunderstandings, people were subject to make fraudulent claims, and human error was at play. 

There is nothing to investigate with respect to the overpayments as the agency knows exactly where the money is, which accounts with which individual claimants, and the state has already been engaged in the process of recovering and managing overpayments. There are several strategies for doing this – some claimants are eligible for waivers through which their overpayments will be forgiven; some claimants will see their weekly benefits off-set to pay back an overpayment; and some will see their appeals remanded through the adjudication process. 

With respect to the bigger picture: The overpayments and fraudulent claims made by claimants, while understandable to an extent given the complexity of the ever-changing federal pandemic unemployment programs, represent a minuscule fraction of the $3.7 billion in benefits the state has paid out to claimants over the past 14 months.

Yes, the state is searching for a new full-time secretary. — Nora Meyers Sackett, press secretary for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Just like the Governor’s response to so many other crises, she appears to be passing the buck. In her statement, she even targeted the state’s own Legislative Finance Committee, claimant its figure of $250 is incorrect while telling the press not to investigate the millions in lost money, saying, “There is nothing to investigate.” 

In a shocking move, the Governor’s office not only denied responsibility but also claimed the hundreds of millions of lost dollars are “minuscule.” Apparently, $250 million is a “minuscule” amount in the eyes of the Lujan Grisham administration.

The news comes as Lujan Grisham is under investigation by the New Mexico Ethics Commission for misusing over $6,000 in campaign funds to fund her daughter’s cosmetology business, a violation of state law.

After domestic terrorists topple age-old monument, DA lets them skirt justice with no jail time

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On Thursday, it was reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican that violent domestic terrorists who toppled a 153-year-old obelisk in the heart of Downtown Santa Fe will skirt by without any jail time.

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the District Attorney in the First Judicial District has “reached an agreement with all but one of the protesters charged in connection with the October destruction of the Santa Fe Plaza obelisk that will allow them to avoid jail time.”

“It was my promise upon assuming this position that our office would do our best to divert non-violent and first-time offenders from costly and unnecessary incarceration,” Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. “The Obelisk case defendants meet the criteria I set out for diversionary programming. We have reached a resolution after months of careful investigation and negotiation between defendants, their attorneys, and my office that ensures justice while working toward community healing.”

“The pre-prosecution diversion program consists of a combination of community service hours and a new approach rooted in restorative justice principles, which has been shown in other communities to lead to better outcomes for victims and those otherwise adversely impacted by crimes,” the District Attorney’s office wrote. 

“Both the presence of and the toppling of the Obelisk left people within our community deeply hurting,” Carmack-Altwies said in the statement. “I am pleased that we are pursuing a method of justice that will begin to heal those wounds. This is a new and innovative way of dealing with harm in the community that will move us closer to reconciliation.”

Mayor Alan Webber ordered police to stand down as the domestic terrorists ravaged the antique monument, which was dedicated to Union soldiers who helped end slavery in the fight against the Confederacy during the Civil War. 

The apparent pro-Confederacy “indigenous” protesters, led by The Red Nation, an anti-Hispanic hate group, will now not be forced to spend a single day behind bars due to the neo-liberal policies of supposed “restorative justice” instituted by Carmack-Altwies. 

Gov. MLG’s labor dept. overpaid $250M in benefits due to ‘fraudulent claims and human error’

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On Wednesday, it was revealed that embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) overpaid $250 million in unemployment benefits during the recent viral outbreak due to “fraudulent claims and human error,” which has left Democrat and Republican lawmakers furious.

A recent report from the Legislative Finance Committee report on the matter, “the reasons for the overpayments included insufficient staffing at the state Department of Workforce Solutions and a backlog of investigations into potentially fraudulent claims.” 

According to the Albuquerque Journal, “New Mexico’s unemployment fund was largely depleted last year by the explosion of pandemic-related jobless claims, prompting the state to borrow $278 million from the federal government to continue paying benefits to unemployed workers.” 

Of the projected $250 million in overpayments, about $133 million were due to potentially fraudulent claims, the report notes.

“The sudden influx of calls and claims hit very quickly,” said acting NMDWS secretary Ricky Serna, who took over the agency’s reins after previous Secretary Bill McCamley stepped down.

Sen. Crystal Diamond (R-Elephant Butte) blamed the Governor and her cabinet for the problems, telling KOB 4, “Ultimately, this falls in the governor’s office, and the executive, and this went on for far too long, and now legislators are being presented with somehow coming up with a solution of fixing a problem that should have never started and certainly should have never grown to the rate it is presented today.” 

Serna acknowledged that it would be very difficult to recoup the millions of dollars expended by the Department, but some overpayments may be able to be recovered due to adjustments with those still receiving benefits (around 90,000 New Mexicans). 

Benefits Attorney Alicia Clark who has heard from around 100 out of work New Mexicans on the issue, “People are getting their benefits garnished before they’ve had a chance to appeal their determination,” said Clark, who estimated she’s heard from more than 100 out-of-work New Mexicans on the issue.

“It’s not the people’s fault they got overpaid – it’s the department’s,” she said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham line-item vetoed an earmarked $600 million on federal funds to renew the depleted unemployment fund appropriated by the Legislature. According to the Governor’s spokeswoman, Nora Sackett, “at the time that the action was necessary due to uncertainty over the federal guidelines for spending the dollars.”

LANL running ‘coercion campaign’ to ‘force’ employees to take COVID shot

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An employee of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), who has asked to remain nameless in fear of retribution, has revealed that the labs are running a “coercion campaign to force employees to take the covid shot.” 

The employee forwarded multiple emails and correspondences from LANL, pushing the COVID-19 shot. If employees choose not to be inoculated, the labs state, “All workers who do not have a vaccination card on file with Occupational Medicine are subject to periodic COVID testing.” 

“COVID tests will be required for unvaccinated workers even if currently teleworking,” the guideline reads, adding, “In the past, the Laboratory has experienced a significant number of missed appointments for COVID tests.” If employees receive a message with the subject line, “WeCare COVID-19 Testing Instructions,” then “that is your notification that you are scheduled for a COVID test. You are required to report for the COVID test at that time unless you are able to make alternative arrangements with Occupational Medicine.” 

The guideline makes clear that “Failure to make your appointment will be treated as a disciplinary offense.” 

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) acting administer Charles P. Verdon sent a letter to employees on Monday, May 17, telling them that the Department of Energy “strongly encourages all employees to get vaccinated with an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.” 

The employee alleges that the guidelines by NNSA and LANL “violate the Nuremberg Code,” a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation during the Nuremberg trials after the Second World War. The individual notes that since none of the COVID-19 shots are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and only provisionally released under emergency use authorization, the pushing of the fairly new inoculation is unethical. 

The Nuremberg Code states explicitly that “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.” If an individual is allegedly being “coerced” into getting the shot, it is unethical.

The revelations from LANL shine a light on the other instances where employees are being coerced or forced to take the vaccine, such as in Doña Ana County, where employees are now required to take the shot. The County wrote in a memorandum that all new employees “are required to be vaccinated as a condition of employment.” 

In March, a Doña Ana Detention Center employee filed a lawsuit, the first of its kind in the United States, claiming the detention center threatened to fire him if he did not take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. MLG points fingers as ethics board probes her $6K payments to daughter for cosmetology

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On Wednesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign brushed off a State Ethics Commission complaint made by Piñon Post editor John Block over her misuse of government funds for cosmetology visits by her daughter, Erin, who was paid $1,040.00 last October. Her campaign claimed the complaint was “frivolous and sexist.” The campaign cited an 11-year-old case of corrupt former Gov. Susana Martinez, who also allegedly used campaign cash for “styling.” 

New Mexico Secretary of State reports show that Martinez spent $1,385.00 for “styling” on August 16, 2010. Neither was the expense made to Martinez’s relative, nor was it explicitly revealed through that relative that it was for styling and cosmetic purposes, a violation of state law.

Erin Grisham did, indeed, disclose the purpose of her involvement with the campaign. She wrote very clearly that the purose of her involvement with the campaign was as a “[s]tylist and cosmetology consultant for Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor Media,” which according to state statute 1.10.13.25(B)(2) NMCA and the Secretary of State’s own guidance, violates state law.

“These routine political expenses were for the governor’s speech and 14 other events she addressed for the Democratic National Convention in August 2020,” Jared Leopold, Gov Lujan Grisham’s campaign spokesman. “This type of event preparation expense is a common and necessary political expenditure for politicians of both parties.”

But now more evidence has come out revealing that Gov. Lujan Grisham’s campaign not only paid Erin Grisham $1,040 in October 2020 for “media preparation.” According to the Secretary of State’s website, Lujan Grisham made four additional payments to her daughter for “media preparation” totaling up to $5,043.

The payments began on August 17, 2017, for $643.88, May 14, 2018 for $2,080.00, October 10, 2018 for $1,920.00 and on March 5, 2020 for $400. The amount of donors’ money expended from the campaign to Erin Grisham now totals $6,083.88 and counting.

Gov. Lujan Grisham was not speaking in front of the Democrat National Convention in 2017 or 2018. To any reasonable everyday New Mexican or even one who holds a public office, spending over $6,000 for cosmetology purposes in four years is out of the ordinary. This pattern of spending, regardless of who is doing it, is not appropriate for a so-called public servant.

Democrat Soros-backed Ivy Leaguer Raúl Torrez running for NM attorney general

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On Monday, George Soros-backed District Attorney Raúl Torres announced that he would be running for New Mexico attorney general, setting up a challenge between current state auditor Brian Colón and the Albuquerque-area district attorney.

“I think New Mexicans want bold leadership and tested leadership inside the AG’s Office,” he said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal Monday. “I think they want someone who isn’t afraid to take on some of the toughest challenges we’ve got in the state.”

“Fundamentally, I believe we don’t have a system right now that provides adequate protections for the general public,” he said. Torrez has degrees from Harvard, Stanford, and the London School of Economics.

Hedge fund billionaire George Soros, who has funded extreme projects such as Black Lives Matter and other dark money groups backing socialist initiatives, donated $107,000 to a political action committee, “New Mexico Safety & Justice” that helped Raúl Torrez win the Democrat primary for district attorney in 2016.

According to the Journal’s report, State Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, said he is also weighing a campaign for attorney general. 

Candelaria has a long past of unhinged far-left comments, which would likely not bode well for him in a matchup between a statewide elected official (Colón) and billionaire George Soros’ hand-selected candidate (Torrez). 

The race for attorney general is wide open, as Hector Balderas is term-limited, and he declined to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020 against his fellow Democrat Ben Ray Luján, who now has filled that position. 

ABQ judge rules in favor of Backstreet Grill, dealing blow to Gov. MLG’s Enviro Dept.

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On Monday afternoon, Backstreet Grill, a restaurant in Old Town Albuquerque that had remained open despite bullying from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) for alleged non-compliance with mask mandates, had a surprise legal win. 

Second Judicial District Court Judge Lisa Chavez Ortega ruled against NMED after the lawyer representing the Department, Andrew Knight, claimed, “The change in the mask mandate only applies to vaccinated, fully vaccinated individuals.” He said, “This restaurant has become the center of for the no mask, no vax crowd” and “We just know they’re unvaccinated in that restaurant.”

Despite the claim that the restaurant had supposedly become a “center” for anti-vaxxers, the judge was not impressed, asking Knight, “The enforcement of the fully vaccinated issue that you just mentioned, how can that be enforced?”

After the decision, attorney Jonathan Diener who is representing Backstreet Grill, said, “We had a big legal win today in Albuquerque. We got a judge who was not a maskhole. She refused to extend the ex-parte temporary restraining order against our restaurant client which had ordered them to close for ignoring the mask ‘mandate’ (all their employees did not mask). Or to hold them in contempt for ignoring the order after she made it and they remained open. She did this based on the fact that the governor has lifted the mask mandate in N.M for the vaccinated.” 

He did add, however, “The case is not over. They (NMED) have a chance to file a new motion arguing that the injunction should issue because the restaurant, its employees and patrons, the attorney said, were a hotbed of antivaxers and enemies of covid fascism and would certainly not all be jabbed.” 

The temporary win for Backstreet Grill is a blow to the Governor and the Environment Department, who wished to make an example of the restaurant and instead ended up with a legal loss.

“We will continue to move forward through the court to ensure this establishment is held accountable,” said Maddy Hayden, director of communications for Gov. Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Environmental Department. 

The restaurant is also reportedly facing Mayor Tim Keller’s City of Albuquerque suspending its food permit. According to KOB 4, “The city is still trying to figure out what, if any, course of action it will take.” 

NM Ethics Commission investigating Gov. Lujan Grisham for misusing campaign funds

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On Thursday, the Piñon Post’s editor, John Block, filed a New Mexico Ethics Commission complaint against New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for misuse of campaign funds by paying her daughter Erin Grisham, a cosmetologist, $1,040 for “media preparation.”

Lujan Grisham’s daughter revealed on her LinkedIn profile that she acted as a “[s]tylist and cosmetology consultant for Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor Media,” which according to state statute 1.10.13.25(B)(2) NMCA and the Secretary of State’s own guidance, violates state law.

An excerpt from the complaint:

According to an April 13, 2021 filing by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gubernatorial campaign to the New Mexico Secretary of State (SOS), the governor paid her daughter, Erin, through an entity listed as “Beauty By Erin Grisham” $1,040 for “media preparation” on October 13, 2020 (Exhibit A).

Lujan Grisham’s campaign did not report that Erin Grisham’s services include hair and makeup, neither of which falls in the scope of what is permissible as a campaign expense.
…

Per state statute, “Personal use of campaign funds is any use of funds in a campaign account to fulfill a commitment, obligation or expense of any candidate or legislator that would exist regardless of the candidate’s campaign or responsibilities as a legislator.” 1.10.13.25(B)(2) NMCA

SOS Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s 2020 Campaign Finance Reporting Guide further affirms that “Hair, nail, or make-up expenses” are not permissible campaign expenses (Exhibit C).
…

Gov. Lujan Grisham’s daughter Erin has no apparent specialties in any field relating to media preparation, such as public relations or any other area that could be attributed to “media preparation,” such as speechwriting or digital media. On her LinkedIn profile, Erin Grisham explicitly states her relation to the Lujan Grisham campaign as the “[s]tylist and cosmetology consultant for Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor Media.” This admission by Erin Grisham on her professional profile proves that the $1,040 for “media preparation” cannot in any reasonable terms be explained away as media preparation other than styling and cosmetology, which are explicitly barred as an expense, per state law (Exhibit B).

Block said, “Gov. Lujan Grisham’s flagrant abuse of state law is a slap in the face to the countless hard-working New Mexicans who play by the rules. While we are expected to follow her edicts, at every corner, she has broken state laws by misusing discretionary funds for wagyu steaks and booze, paying off her alleged sexual abuse victims with campaign cash, and now openly defying the Secretary of State by funneling her donors’ funds to her own daughter for salon visits.”

“New Mexicans are sick and tired of being played for fools while our politicians do whatever they want with no consequences. No public servant—no matter if they serve on a local school board or as the chief executive—should be above the law, which is why this ethics complaint is so important,” Block added.

On Thursday, the Ethics Commission confirmed its acceptance of the complaint, writing in an email that it “meets the requirements for administrative complaints set forth in 1.8.3.9(A)(2) NMAC and will be forwarded to the respondent(s).” The Ethics Commission noted that Lujan Grisham’s campaign has been notified of the complaint and that her use of funds is being investigated.

The Piñon Post has found additional payments adding up to $6,083.88 since 2017. A full report on the additional payments will come in due course.

‘Russian collusion’ conspiracist Adam Schiff backs Melanie Stansbury’s CD1 bid

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On Sunday, “Russia collusion” conspiracy theorist Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent out an email supporting far-left New Mexico state Rep. Melanie Stansbury in her quest for the open First District House seat in Congress vacated by Interior secretary Deb Haaland. 

Schiff has long been spreading “fake news” regarding non-existent collusion between President Donald J. Trump and Russians, which was proven unequivocally false by the Robert Mueller report. He stands by his false claims meant to weaken the 45th President to this very day and was rewarded for his efforts spreading conspiracy theories by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats who appointed him chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. 

In the email, Schiff wrote that Stansbury was facing “Republican attacks” while claiming she is “a Democratic leader who will fight for both our democracy and progressive change.” 

He claimed that the First District election is “the first big test for House Democrats in 2021” and that electing Stansbury is critical for keeping the Democrats’ majority. 

Schiff then spewed a massive lie, writing, “She was born and raised in New Mexico, spending her whole life in the community she seeks to represent.” Actually, Stansbury has spent the better part of the last 20 years in Washington, D.C., working for Democrat politicians, not in any New Mexico “community” whatsoever.

He added, “As a New Mexico state representative, Melanie has fought to address the issues that have directly impacted her community: affordable food, clean water, shelter, economic security and justice, and climate change.” 

Schiff is not wrong here about her support for “climate change” legislation. She voted for Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Green New Deal and sponsored costly anti-energy proposals to cripple the New Mexico energy industry by heavily investing in so-called “renewables” while also pushing for more regulations on oil and gas manufacturers, which make up around 40% of New Mexico’s state budget from taxes. 

Antisemites rally in ABQ against Israel, appear to support Hamas terrorists

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On Saturday, Antisemites gathered at Tiguex Park in Albuquerque to rally against Israel. The rally, dubbed “Nakba (catastrophe): Emergency March and Rally” comes after Hamas terrorists in Palestine shot thousands of rockets at Israel over the past few days. Most of them have been intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system dubbed the “Iron Dome.”

The Islamic Center of New Mexico appears to have played a role in the Antisemitic protest. Just last week, Democrat politicians gathered to support the organization 

At the Saturday protest, people held signs reading things like “Occupation Must End,” “It’s not anti-Semitic to admit Israel is an APARTHEID,” “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine,” “Israelis Are Professional Baby Killers,” “Nationalism is a sickness,” among other things. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7343361875/permalink/10157667201746876/

From videos posted of the event by attendees, speakers can be heard shouting, “Palestine will be free!” and “No more bloodshed!” However, Hamas, which controls Giza, the portion of land where thousands of rockets have been shot at Israel, has killed many Israelis in recent days. But many, such as Antisemitic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) claim “Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians.” 

But Hamas has actually used schools as rocket-launch sites with young children being used as human shields. 

The harsh truth of Palestine’s inhumane treatment of not only Israelis but also its own people was ignored by the protest, which was put on by “ANSWER Coalition,” a large proponent of the Hamas terrorist group. 

Many attendees were seen wearing keffiyeh scarves, which are a staple of Hamas and Antisemitic terrorists occupying the West Bank and Gaza strip. 

Previously, Antisemitic pro-Palestinian supporters have rallied in Albuquerque, notably in July 2020 with an event co-sponsored by the anti-Hispanic hate group “The Red Nation” and “Al-Awda,” whose founder compares Jews with Nazis and is a supporter of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. At the 2020 rally, a handful of people in the caravan of cars held anti-Israel signs, with some shouting out of their cars things such as, “Look at the Nazis! F**k you!”

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