News

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

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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

28 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

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

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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.

10 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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!”

Stansbury tells displaced Diné energy workers just to sell ‘your art or your wool’

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In February, state Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-Bernalillo) raised eyebrows with what many are calling a “racist statement,” telling displaced former energy workers who lost their jobs due to Democrats’ eco-green policies just to sell “your art or your wool” if they came from a Diné Navajo community. 

Rep. Rod Montoya (R-San Juan), who comes from a minority community, previously blasted Stansbury for the “ obscene” remark. He said, “Why were these comments not plastered all over social media or in local news? I can only surmise that her comments were ignored because she is a ‘well-meaning,’ white, progressive Democrat who is running for Congress.”

Stansbury won the Democrats’ nomination for Congress in the special First District election to replace current Interior secretary Deb Haaland who vacated the seat. 

She faces Republican state Sen. Mark Moores, Independent Aubrey Dunn, Jr., a perennial candidate, and Libertarian Chris Manning, who does not live in the district.

Stansbury, who claims to have roots in the state, has spent the last 20 years in the District of Columbia working for politicians, moving back in 2018 to run for a state legislative seat she was alleged to be hand-picked by Sen. Martin Heinrich to run for. 

The special election to replace Haaland will occur on June 1, 2021. Early voting begins on March 15 and goes until May 29. It is unclear if Stansbury’s racist statement toward Diné workers will be a topic of discussion on the campaign. However, her opponents have bashed her for support for the “BREATHE Act,” which aims to defund the police. 

Heinrich anti-energy bill will keep New Mexico ‘dependent on Washington’

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, it was reported that Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich is planning to introduce “a revenue replacement bill” next week which “would provide a predictable transition for states, counties, and tribes and give those governments time to transition their budgets to more sustainable and reliable sources of revenue,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“The bill sets a baseline mineral revenue amount for each fiscal year based on a historical average of federal mineral revenue, declining by 5 percent each year,” a news release states. “If the regular mineral revenue payment to a state, county, or tribe would fall below the baseline amount for that year, an ‘energy transition payment’ would be provided to make up the difference between the actual mineral payment and the calculated baseline.”

Embattled Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was accused and later settled with $62,500 in campaign funds for sexual assault, applauded the proposal, writing, “This legislation would establish the kind of support we need to ensure our state revenues are protected as we continue to implement the important work of diversifying and expanding New Mexico’s economy,” 

She added, “I look forward to working with the senator and all of New Mexico’s delegation to get this proposal across the federal finish line.”

Far-left Democrat Rep. Javier Martínez also applauded the radical anti-energy proposal, writing, “I think what the senator is going to be proposing really provides us with a thoughtful revenue bridge, if you will, as that transition happens.” He added, “What happens to state revenues? What happens to funding for schools, funding for infrastructure? And I think that the senator’s plan really provides us with that alternative.”

“The global energy landscape is undergoing a massive transformation, and states like New Mexico need to be ready,” Heinrich told The New Mexican.

“The Schools and State Budgets Certainty Act will provide a predictable glide path for state, county, and Tribal governments to move away from their current dependence on federal fossil fuel revenues and allow a managed transition to more reliable sources of funding,” he added. “If we make the right choices now and invest in new growth opportunities, we can put New Mexico and our energy veterans who have long worked to power our country in the best possible position to thrive.”

The bill aims to move New Mexico from being “dependent” on oil and gas to be dependent on the federal government, which some critics of the radical proposal have taken issue with.

“This proposal is an admission from Senator Heinrich that the wind and solar power being forced upon New Mexicans won’t be enough to financially sustain our state. Instead of allowing the workers in our energy industry to keep their jobs, this proposal proves Senator Heinrich wants to make New Mexico even more dependent on Washington.  It is pure arrogance for Senator Heinrich and Governor Lujan Grisham to artificially prop up unreliable energy sources while destroying real jobs in New Mexico and then have the audacity to call it a ‘just transition’,” said Larry Behrens of the pro-energy group Power The Future. 

Lujan Grisham and Heinrich have proposed and supported proposals for a complete government takeover of health care, education, and many other sectors, while spending billions on far-out “climate change” proposals such as the Green New Deal that would bankrupt the state and the country. 

1 … 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 … 209

Stay Updated

Scroll to Top