News Archives - Page 117 of 215

Soros orgs that were mum on MLG groping scandal now demand Dem senator resign

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Monday, far-left dark money groups, including some funded by billionaire George Soros, demanded that state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto resign amid new supposed “allegations” from lobbyists where he is accused of raising his voice at women. Another allegation that just came to fruition was one from the 1990s where a former alleged college classmate claimed he pinned her to a wall.

The move comes as a far-left proponent of Democrats’ pro-voter fraud measures in the 2022 Legislative Session, Marianna Anaya, filed a complaint against Ivey-Soto for inappropriate behavior, which the senator denied. She claims Ivey-Soto slow-walked the pro-voter fraud bill to get back at her.

The new allegations accuse Ivey-Soto of referring to one lobbyist, Heather Ferguson of Common Cause New Mexico, as “Lips and Hips.” New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence lobbyist Miranda Viscoli claimed the senator once screamed and cursed at her.

One allegation comes from Carmen López, who worked at the Thornberg Foundation. She doesn’t remember when Ivey-Soto allegedly raised his voice at her sometime between 2014 and 2018.

“Gayle Krueger, then a University of New Mexico staff member, said Ivey-Soto in the 1990s pressed her against a wall and screamed in her face. He was a student at the time, she said, and had been elected chair of a graduate student government organization,” reported the Albuquerque Journal.

The dark money groups demanding Ivey-Soto resign include “Common Cause, OLE-Organizers in the Land of Enchantment, Equality New Mexico, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, NM Native Vote and the Center for Civic Policy,” the Journal report noted.

It should be noted that not a single one of these organizations spoke out against multiple men accusing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has been endorsed by many of these groups, of sexual assault. Lujan Grisham paid out $150,000 to one alleged victim, James Hallinan, for claims she poured water over his pants and then groped his penis at an event held at state Rep. Deborah Armstrong’s house.

Now, these dark money groups, who have a political goal by attempting to oust Ivey Soto, suddenly care about sexual assault allegations when it appears to line up in ther best interest — to install a new Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham-appointed senator in his seat.

Soros orgs that were mum on MLG groping scandal now demand Dem senator resign Read More »

MLG hires cyber security aide in fear of ‘crippling’ Russian attacks

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Friday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she had hired a new cyber security advisor, Annie Winterfield Manriquez, citing Russian attacks.

According to StateScoop, “Manriquez is tasked with bolstering the state’s cybersecurity posture by working with ‘key stakeholders across government,’ developing statewide standards and ‘best practices for information-sharing, communications, and incident response protocols,’”

Lujan Grisham claimed her new hire was because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with “state-sponsored cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S.” She said that “potentially crippling Russian cyberattacks” could target New Mexico.

“As the current geopolitical situation in Ukraine devolves and state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. grow more sophisticated, the White House and federal agencies responsible for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection have called for states to take immediate steps to strengthen their defenses against potentially crippling Russian cyberattacks,” her news release read.

“New Mexico holds the distinction of being the first state this year where a local government disclosed being hit by a successful ransomware attack. On Jan. 5, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, reported an incident that led to extended disruptions of numerous services and functions, including an outage of technology used by the county jail, prompting officials to keep inmates in lockdown,” the report continued.

Manriquez worked at the Mitre Corporation, a federally funded research and development group. She also previously worked at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

“A robust cybersecurity framework has never been more important, and we are already seeing more sophisticated cyberattacks being carried out in New Mexico and the rest of the country,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “It is critical that the state continue to take action to make sure we are as prepared and protected as possible, and Annie is the leader the state needs.”

This comes as Lujan Grisham’s departments have had abysmal security measures, with IPRA requests provisioning login credentials and countless records being deleted by important departments, such as the Children, Youth, and Families (CYFD) Department which deals with sensitive data regarding minors.

MLG hires cyber security aide in fear of ‘crippling’ Russian attacks Read More »

Toulouse Oliver attacks GOP opponent Audrey Trujillo

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Saturday, far-left New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s campaign viciously bashed her GOP challenger, Audrey Trujillo in a fundraising email. The left-wing politician who does not believe election fraud exists and who has attempted to weaken the state’s election laws called Trujillo a “certified election denier.”

In the email, the campaign wrote, “After being endorsed by the Trump-backed America First [SOS] Coalition and the MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (yes, that guy), it’s clear that our opponent does not have New Mexicans’ democratic interests at heart.”

Trujillo is listed as a candidate on the “America First SOS Coalition” but a formal endorsement from Lindell cannot be found.

“Our problem isn’t our election integrity process, but the actors creating doubt and mistrust in our elections that intimidate voters — and wasting taxpayer money to do so,” claimed Toulouse Oliver’s team. She added that “the stakes for our democracy could not be higher.”

This comes after Trujillo released a lengthy statement applauding the Otero County 2020 election audit and demanding answers as to why Toulouse Oliver and other Democrats are doing everything in their power to stop it.

Trujillo wrote, “The latest Rasmussen poll shows that 83% of likely U.S. voters believe the issue of election integrity will be important ahead of this year’s elections. Of those respondents, a staggering 63% identified election integrity as a very important issue. Honesty, integrity, and transparency are instrumental to a free Constitutional Representative Republic.”

“Why all the attacks? Why all the smears? Why all the lies and disinformation? What is going [on] in Otero County is not about overturning the results or suppressing voters. It’s about transparency and addressing the concerns voters have about our electoral process. Right now, our elected officials are not being honest and transparent. No matter what your political affiliation is, these issues affect everyone and if we don’t properly address those issues, nothing is going to change for the better.”

But Toulouse Oliver is continuing to beat the “election denier” drum about Trujillo, despite the GOP candidate’s message of having free and fair elections in New Mexico without election fraud.

Election fraud in New Mexico is well-documented and the Otero County audit has already begun finding concerning data regarding voter registrations. During the Piñon Post’s own independent findings in Otero County, many registered voters still on the rolls have been dead for at least five years, while many are registered at locations that do not have a residence on the property.

Learn more about Audrey Trujillo’s campaign to unseat far-left Maggie Toulouse Oliver here.

Toulouse Oliver attacks GOP opponent Audrey Trujillo Read More »

Lujan Grisham calls special session after vetoing junior money

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

After angering Democrats and Republicans over a veto of junior money that would have gone to projects such as funding for the Special Olympics, senior centers, and helping solve child abuse cases, Gov. Lujan Grisham has called for a special session starting on April 5.

Once a formal proclamation comes out from Lujan Grisham on the special session, all legislative candidates and legislators will be banned from fundraising throughout the conclusion of the special session.

The scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Governor tried to cover her bases by saying the special sessions about gas prices. “As prices remain high nationwide, it is clear that we must act swiftly to deliver more relief to New Mexicans,” claimed Lujan Grisham in a news release.

“It is our responsibility to do what we can to ease that burden,” she concluded, despite having killed 40% of small businesses and leading New Mexico to the highest unemployment rate in the nation. She also supported a proposal that would result in a 35 to 50 cents-per-gallon gas tax on the poor.

Lujan Grisham said she was “unconvinced” the distribution of more than $50 million for projects across the state “upholds principles of fiscal responsibility.” This comes after she signed a mammoth $8.5 billion budget that included millions in funding for the Green New Deal, anti-gun programs, and taxpayer-funded “free” college.

“Given this is an election year, a potential battle over the bill between the heavily Democratic Legislature and Lujan Grisham, also a Democrat, could have caused some political fallout,” wrote the Santa Fe New Mexican.
It is unclear if the special session will include a backdoor voting bill that would appear to make New Mexico elections unsecured. But the Piñon Post is on high alert for any developments regarding a pro-voter fraud measure.

Lujan Grisham calls special session after vetoing junior money Read More »

Lujan Grisham could call special session to save her hide after unpopular veto

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

More reports are confirming that scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham could call a special session of the New Mexico Legislature to pass an amended junior funding bill after she vetoed the one passed earlier this year by unanimous Senate and House votes.

According to New Mexico Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Steward (D-Bernalillo), the special session could also include measures to alleviate the state’s gas taxes, despite Lujan Grisham and Stewart supporting a bill for two years in a row that would have increased the cost of gasoline anywhere from 35 to 50 cents per gallon.

“We are looking at providing some sort of cost-of-living, cost-of-transportation rebate,” Stewart told the Santa Fe New Mexican.

The Lujan Grisham-vetoed junior funding bill included funding for the Special Olympics, rural economic development, investments in senior centers, food banks, acequias, and equipment to solve child abuse cases. Democrats and Republicans responded with fury after she vetoed the commonsense bill.

Now, Stewart claims the bill can be “fixed” to accommodate Lujan Grisham. “She has brought up problems in the bill, and we are trying to determine if we agree with those,” the Senate Pro-Tem said.

Nora Sackett, the Governor’s press secretary, told the New Mexican, “The governor is committed to prioritizing transparency and accountability in making fiscal decisions, and we are optimistic that we will be able to move forward in partnership with the Legislature in ensuring taxpayer dollars are responsibly spent for the benefit of New Mexicans.”

Lujan Grisham faces fierce opposition as she seeks another term despite her multiple scandals. A special session would mean a fundraising ban for Lujan Grisham and all legislative candidates, which will not help her in her quest to seek funds to win reelection. State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana), “There’s concern about the political optics of [an extraordinary session] in an election year.”

Lujan Grisham could call special session to save her hide after unpopular veto Read More »

SOS says ‘Anyone’ supporting Otero audit is undermining ‘confidence’ in elections

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By John Block

On Thursday, far-left New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver relished in the news that left-wing coastal congressional Democrats, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) are launching a House Oversight investigation into the company contracted for the Otero County audit of the 2020 election.

Toulouse Oliver dubbed the County-sanctioned audit a “fraudit” and claimed it “sabotages our constitutional right to vote.” It is unclear how merely recounting votes and documenting abnormalities in the ballots cast is doing anything other than strengthening the integrity of elections. With the audit findings, New Mexicans can definitively know the results of the 2020 election in Otero County.

She wrote, “Arry, weeks ago, I said that this was a vigilante audit. Anyone supporting the ‘fraudit’ undermines public confidence in election security and continues to spread lies about our elections here in New Mexico. The fraudit is a fraud itself.”

“Millions of Americans have sacrificed their lives to vote in this country. Anything that sabotages our constitutional right to vote should be taken very seriously, and I am grateful to the House Oversight panel for proactively investigating this. It’s pure voter intimidation,” Toulouse Oliver continued.

The Secretary of State supported far-left Democrats’ proposals for an extreme pro-voter fraud bill that would enshrine voter suppression into New Mexico law during the 2022 Legislative Session. Some of these proposals included allowing widespread ballot harvesting, letting ballots be counted one week following an election, unsecured ballot drop boxes, and other corrosive measures.

She also teamed up with Attorney General Hector Balderas and the mainstream media to try and stymie participation by citizens in answering canvassers’ questions that could verify if they voted in the election.

It appears Toulouse Oliver is gaslighting those seeking truth in Otero County by accusing them of exactly what she is guilty of — voter intimidation. If nothing went wrong in the 2020 election, why do everything possible to stop the audit of the supposedly “secure” election?

SOS says ‘Anyone’ supporting Otero audit is undermining ‘confidence’ in elections Read More »

Dems call in U.S. House big wigs to help stop Otero County audit, claim it’s racist

6 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Thursday, NBC News reported that the U.S. House Oversight Committee was launching an investigation into the New Mexico Audit Force, which is tasked with carrying out the Otero County-sanctioned audit of the 2020 election.

Specifically, the Committee is investigating EchoMail, which was the contractor hired by Otero County for around $50,000 to do the audit.

Previously, New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colón sent a letter to the County threatening litigation, while Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas used their bully pulpit to attempt to delegitimize the forensic audit of the 2020 election. Now, as the New Mexico Democrats’ ploys to stop the audit appear to have failed, they have now called in their friends in Washington, D.C., to try and stop it on a national level.

“The Committee is investigating whether your company’s audit and canvass in New Mexico illegally interferes with Americans’ right to vote by spreading disinformation about elections and intimidating voters,” House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the chairman of the subcommittee on civil rights and civil liberties, wrote in a Wednesday letter addressed to V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, the founder of EchoMail. (Pictured).

Ayyadurai is an MIT-educated expert who has been cited as the “inventor of email.”

The House panel erroneously claimed in its letter that “[t]he canvas may have a particular impact on minority communities in Otero County,” noting that 40 percent of the County’s residents are Hispanic.

“Otero County’s diversity makes it susceptible to the same threat identified by DOJ in Maricopa County—that canvasses of this nature, even when sponsored by local governments, can result in intimidation directed at minority voters,” the letter continued, without any such evidence of intimidation by volunteers helping conduct the audit.

Maloney said in a statement, “The reports coming out of New Mexico of EchoMail’s canvassers harassing and intimidating people on their own property in the name of a sham ‘audit’ are truly disturbing. I urge the Department of Justice to review potential ongoing civil rights violations arising from this so-called audit, and I look forward to uncovering the full scope of EchoMail’s actions.” No specifics about what supposed “civil rights violations” may occur by merely going door to door to canvassing the area, as many political campaigns have done for decades to reach voters. The audit is even more benign, literally asking if a voter cast a ballot in 2020 — not asking who they voted for.

Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver claims there were around 20 complaints to her office, while she said “twice that” were filed with the New Mexico Attorney General.

National leftist groups, many backed by George Soros, have already dunked money into the smear campaign against the Otero County audit, with paid activists from New York to San Francisco working overtime to stop the County from getting to the truth.

“The intent of the audit is to restore trust, faith, and confidence in the integrity of our elections,” the three Otero County commissioners said. “Election integrity is a non-partisan issue.”

One must ask if these Democrats are working overtime from the West Coast, East Coast, and the offices of statewide elected leftists to stop the audit of a county with fewer than 70,000 people residing in it, what are they hiding, and what could they gain by successfully stopping the truth from coming out?

Dems call in U.S. House big wigs to help stop Otero County audit, claim it’s racist Read More »

U.S. Attorney requests forfeiture of fmr. top Dem’s assets in fraud case

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

According to a letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, agents have requested a judge grant forfeiture of around $455,000 relating to the case of ex-House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Bernalillo), who was accused of graft of millions from children at the Albuquerque Public Schools.

In September, the FBI seized around $3 million connected to Stapleton. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the U.S. Attorneys’ letter aks approval to “‘forfeit and condemn’ part of the seized federal funds related to Robotics checks that went to a nonprofit called the Ujima Foundation.”

According to research done by the Piñon Post in a sweeping report, over the course of decades, Stapleton allegedly funneled millions of dollars into Robotics Management Learning Systems, LLC and other shell companies run by Washington, D.C.-based Joseph Johnson. Johnson is a former cabinet secretary who was forced to resign in disgrace following corruption charges during the Toney Anaya administration.

He has since been involved in multiple cases regarding public corruption in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and now again in New Mexico.

“Federal agents in the fall seized more than $1.5 million from the Bank of America account for Robotics. Agents also seized more than $1 million from Bank of America accounts tied to those businesses and foundations linked to Williams Stapleton, plus a 2017 Volvo,” reports the New Mexican.

“Federal agents also took $452,419.56 being held in the 2nd Judicial District Court related to state charges against the former lawmaker — funds the U.S. Attorney’s Office now wants. That agency also wants the Volvo, which was partially paid for by Williams Stapleton with Ujima Foundation funds.”

Despite Johnson claiming Stapleton had no connection with Robotics Management Learning Systems, LLC, the two have been connected since they both attended college at New Mexico State University and first got involved in politics through the socialist “Rainbow Coalition,” which Stapleton is still listed as the contact for the group in New Mexico.

[Read our full report on Stapleton’s shady business dealings and close connections to other New Mexico politicians here.]

U.S. Attorney requests forfeiture of fmr. top Dem’s assets in fraud case Read More »

Colón sends bloviated letter threatening Otero County over 2020 election audit

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

State Auditor Brian Colón, who is currently running for New Mexico attorney general, is meddling in Otero County’s audit of the 2020 election. Colón sent a rhetoric-filled letter to the county commissioners Monday threatening them with the “potential” of “costly civil litigation,” among other measures.

Colón claimed that “the County is deficient in their ability to properly oversee the compliance of contractual agreements and further lacks proper oversight policies for contract compliance.”

“Based on statements made to Commissioners, these volunteers would in no way represent themselves as County employees to County residents that they were interviewing. However, additional concerns brought to our attention suggest that it appears volunteer canvassers at the direction of the contractor are falsely representing themselves as employed by the County. The OSA has concerns of potential liability for the County in connection with alleged civil rights violations of its citizens.”

There is no evidence showing canvassers as representing themselves as employed by the County. Even in leftists’ TikTok videos used to try and delegitimize the audit, canvassers have represented themselves as “volunteers” that are helping Otero County in the audit.

“The stated purpose and methodology of the ‘audit’ gives the appearance of the entire affair simply being a careless and extravagant waste of public funds, which does not appear to serve any useful purpose to the taxpayers of Otero County,” Colón went on to write.

He even accused the three Otero County commissioners of violating their office, writing, “As a result, it appears that the County Commission failed to treat their government position as a public trust and instead used the powers and resources of their public office to waste public resources in pursuit of private interests concerning unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, and failed to advance the public interest in the County by entering into a contractual agreement with a private company to look for fraud within the County’s general election despite the County’s results.”

“I speak for myself, but I think the other two commissioners feel the same way that we strongly support this audit,” Commissioner Vickie Marquardt said at a March 10 commission meeting.

“I don’t want to do anything else that’s going to bring negative effects on you for getting harassing phone calls. That’s not what this should be about,” referring to David and Erin Clements, who have helped spearhead the audit. The Commission denied a request to clarify the political affiliation of the auditor staff at the meeting, according to the Alamogordo Daily News.

Many outside forces from California, New York, and other places have injected themselves into a smear campaign against the Otero County audit, with Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas piling onto the swath of misinformation to attempt to stymie participation. Toulouse Oliver has even used the audit as a means to fundraise for her reelection to her office.

Amy Barela, the past-Chairwoman of the Otero County Republican Party and current District 2 candidate for Otero County Commission told KALH radio, “The county needs to review the expenses of the New Mexico Audit Force to make sure they are distributed and allocated as they are intended to be.”

Colón sends bloviated letter threatening Otero County over 2020 election audit Read More »

One week later, NM Dems finally release convention results

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

One week after Democrats’ “lovefest” convention in Roswell, they finally have the results from the contentious races. This came after the Democrats employed the use of absentee ballots, over-the-phone voting, and electronic voting which allowed votes days after the convention.

In the Second Congressional District, far-left ex-Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez outpaced Dashel Patel 80.43% to 19.57%. Patel was just shy of the 20% needed to get on the ballot but could get extra signatures to get a ballot slot.

In the state treasurer race, Laura Montoya got 58.29% to Heather Benavidez’s 41.71%. The nominee will face Republican Harry Montoya in the general election.

Zack Quintero, who previously ran an unsuccessful race for Albuquerque City Council, got 61.81% to Joseph Maestas’ 38.19%. Maestas is a Public Regulation commissioner and former Santa Fe city councilor.

In the hotly contested attorney general race, state auditor Brian Colón led Albuqurque-area District Attorney Raúl Torres 61.46% to 38.54%. Torres has support from George Soros. The winner will face Republican Jeremy Gay.

The governor’s race, lt. governor’s race, Congressional Districts One and Three, Secretary of State, and Land Commission are uncontested on the Democrat side. Republicans have not put up a candidate for state auditor. But they have put up a candidate, Jeff Byrd, for Land Commission.

Whoever the Democrats choose on June 7 as their nominees will face Republicans, who have been rallying to take back New Mexico with a strong showing across the state.

In contrast to the Republican convention, the GOP had primary results the night of the convention, which were released the day afterward.

One week later, NM Dems finally release convention results Read More »

« PREVIOUS PAGE 1 … 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 … 215 NEXT PAGE »