Politics

Disgraced Dem leader Stapleton’s trial opens with stunning defense

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Former New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton’s federal corruption trial opened this week with a stunning defense: she may have taken money that did not belong to her, but her attorney argued she did not steal from taxpayers.

Stapleton, once one of the most powerful Democrats in the New Mexico Legislature, is facing a 37-count federal indictment tied to allegations that she helped steer roughly $3.2 million in federal vocational training money to a company run by longtime friend and co-defendant Joseph Johnson, then received more than $1 million in kickbacks.

Her attorney, Ryan Villa, told jurors Tuesday that Stapleton is “not 100% innocent,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, but argued she is not guilty of the federal charges prosecutors brought against her.

Yes, Villa acknowledged, Stapleton took money that was not hers and failed to report it on her taxes. But he argued she took the money from Johnson’s company and a nonprofit they ran — not from taxpayers.

“She is not guilty of bribery, fraud or money laundering,” Villa told jurors.

Villa insisted there was no “pay to play,” no “quid pro quo,” and no evidence that Stapleton and Johnson carried out a long-running scheme to defraud the federal government or Albuquerque Public Schools.

He told jurors the real question was not simply whether Stapleton took money, but “who did she take money from?”

Johnson’s attorney, Nicole Moss, offered a similar finger-pointing defense, telling jurors Johnson was also innocent and that the public received the software Albuquerque Public Schools paid for through Robotics Management Learning Systems.

Moss described Johnson as a hardworking businessman who was allegedly betrayed by “one of his oldest friends” while distracted by the death of his young son.

“The victim here, the person who was cheated by Ms. Stapleton, was Mr. Johnson,” Moss said.

In other words, both defendants appear to agree on one thing: there was no conspiracy between them. Stapleton’s defense says she took from Johnson’s operation, not taxpayers. Johnson’s defense says he was the one cheated by Stapleton.

But federal prosecutors are telling jurors a much different story — and the defense argument has a major problem.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici alleged the two longtime friends struck a “corrupt bargain” that “kept millions flowing” to Johnson’s company. Prosecutors say Stapleton, in her role as career and technical education director for APS, helped direct federal education funds toward Johnson’s company and moved invoices through the procurement process.

In return, Federici said, Robotics Management Learning Systems provided Stapleton with blank company checks that she used as she wished.

Prosecutors said roughly 95% of the money in the Robotics bank account came from federal education funds obtained through APS contracts. They also alleged the company received about $3.4 million from APS and federal vocational training funds, with approximately 73% of that total treated as profit.

According to Federici, Stapleton and Johnson split that profit, each walking away with about $1 million for personal use. Stapleton allegedly failed to report any of it on financial disclosures required by her positions as a state legislator and APS administrator.

That is where the “she stole from her friend, not taxpayers” argument starts to collapse. If prosecutors are right that the money entering Robotics was overwhelmingly taxpayer-funded, then the public money did not become irrelevant simply because it passed through Johnson’s company before allegedly ending up in Stapleton’s hands.

The case also comes against the backdrop of years of prior Piñon Post reporting that raised questions about both Stapleton and Johnson long before opening statements began.

Piñon Post previously reported that Robotics Management Learning Systems was registered at a Washington, D.C., address tied to Johnson and his National Corrections and Rehabilitation Corporation, and that Johnson was also listed as president of Ujima Foundation, another entity prosecutors have tied to the alleged scheme.

The prior exclusive reporting also documented that Stapleton and Johnson’s relationship stretches back decades, including shared political circles at New Mexico State University, NAACP connections, and later Rainbow Coalition ties.

Johnson’s own past has not been clean of controversy. Piñon Post previously reported that during the Toney Anaya years, Johnson was charged by state prosecutors with felony counts including bribery, fraud, conspiracy, illegal kickbacks, and racketeering after a scandal involving a state-contracted mental health center. The charges were ultimately dismissed after a key witness recanted, and Johnson later returned to government as Anaya’s chief of staff.

Piñon Post also reported on other Johnson business controversies, including a HUD report finding that a Johnson-linked company in Virginia had “inappropriately spent” nearly half a million dollars in hospital operating funds on questionable contracts, board compensation, country-club dues, travel, entertainment, and housing unrelated to hospital operations.

Stapleton’s public career also came with years of questions. In 2011, KRQE’s Larry Barker reported Stapleton “pocketed more than $100,000 — money she didn’t earn — from APS over the years while serving in the legislature,” with APS later changing rules rather than forcing repayment. She was also accused by a former Martin Luther King Jr. Commission executive director of coercing a no-bid contract involving eRead, though Stapleton denied involvement.

Now, in federal court, Stapleton’s defense is not claiming she did nothing wrong. It is claiming the wrong she did was not the federal corruption scheme prosecutors allege.

The trial is expected to continue through Aug. 14, with prosecutors listing dozens of potential witnesses. Stapleton also faces a separate state case set for trial in October, where she is accused of 28 crimes, including violating ethical principles of public service, soliciting or receiving an illegal kickback, and engaging in an official act for personal financial gain.

Both Stapleton and Johnson are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

But the opening defense pitch — that money was taken, just not from taxpayers — may be a difficult sell when prosecutors say the cash trail began with federal education money meant for students.

Disgraced Dem leader Stapleton’s trial opens with stunning defense Read More »

Luján’s fundraising panic gets weird fast

22 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s campaign appears to be in full-blown manufactured fundraising panic mode, sending a barrage of increasingly dramatic emails warning supporters that Democrats could “throw in the towel,” “kiss their chances” of taking the Senate goodbye, and even claiming survey data could become “invalid” if recipients do not respond fast enough.

The string of emails, sent over several days around the campaign’s end-of-month fundraising deadline, shows just how frantic Democrat campaign messaging has become as Luján seeks reelection and national Democrats look for a path back to the Senate majority.

The pleas began with the usual manufactured urgency, but quickly veered into absurd territory.

On July 28, Luján’s campaign sent an “URGENT DEMOCRATIC POLLING” email asking the supposedly critical political question: “DO YOU RECYCLE?”

The email appeared falsely personalized to the recipient, claiming the person had been selected for a local recycling survey and was “representing” Santa Fe Democrats. It said the campaign was reaching out because of “concerning data in Santa Fe regarding low recycling rates.”

“We’re in the midst of a MASSIVE environmental crisis,” the email warned, adding that the campaign still needed “[331] responses to reach statistical significance.”

Two days later, the same recycling-themed email appeared again, with the same “DO YOU RECYCLE?” question and the same claim that 331 responses were needed.

By July 29, the tone had shifted from recycling panic to Senate doom.

“I don’t know what to say,” one email began.

“We’re 2 DAYS away from our end-of-month fundraising deadline. If we don’t hit our goal, we won’t be able to flip the Senate blue. We won’t be able to fight Trump’s agenda,” the email warned.

Then came the highlighted line: “But no one — I mean no one — has donated.”

The campaign claimed “our future is on the line,” along with “the fate of Social Security and Medicare” and even “gas prices.” The email then asked whether the recipient had “anything to spare to help STOP Trump,” warning that Democrats had “only 24 hours left” — despite the same email saying the deadline was two days away.

On July 30, Luján’s campaign claimed it was still “[447] donations short” of its goal.

“If I don’t hit my end-of-month goal, Democrats can kiss their chances at retaking the Senate goodbye,” the email stated. It claimed “the GOP is SWARMING New Mexico” and warned, “If Democrats don’t take back the Senate, MAGA wins.”

The campaign then escalated further: “And if MAGA wins, Trump gets to bulldoze his agenda through Congress. The future of Social Security, Medicare, and gas prices will all be uncertain.”

But perhaps the most bizarre emails involved MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) host Rachel Maddow.

On July 30, Luján’s campaign sent an email with the subject line “GOODBYE, RACHEL MADDOW.” The email claimed, “Trump managed to get Stephen Colbert fired. And now, he’s calling for MSNBC to FIRE Rachel Maddow!” The email couldn’t even get Maddow’s network name correct.

The campaign said it had launched an “URGENT Viewership Poll” to “PROVE massive grassroots support for Rachel Maddow” and demanded the recipient submit a response “in the next 30 minutes.”

A follow-up email the next day, titled “FWD: Rachel Maddow FIRED?!” said the campaign was “RACING to prove that top Democrats support Rachel Maddow” and needed a “98% response rate.”

The campaign warned that Maddow had “courageously EXPOSED Trump and MAGA’s corruption time after time” and that Trump would “LOVE to say goodbye to brave journalists like Rachel Maddow who speak truth to power.”

By July 31, deadline-day panic reached its peak.

“This is the final time we’ll ask you to donate $9 to help RE-ELECT Ben Ray Luján,” the email began, before admitting, “As of this morning, we’re still DANGEROUSLY short of our goal.”

The campaign warned that if Democrats “lose here it’s OVER” and said it had emailed supporters “over and over” because “if things don’t turn around, we’ll have to pack our bags and throw in the towel.”

Then came the “Harsh Reality” section, claiming “The GOP is swarming New Mexico” and that “Donald Trump is trying to RIG elections after his administration FAILED the American people.”

The same email claimed that if the campaign raised “20,000 Senate Memberships” before midnight, Democrats could “END Trump’s razor-thin Senate Majority.” If they succeeded, it declared, “the rest of his corrupt presidency is TOAST!”

The deadline apparently did not end the begging.

On Aug. 1, Luján’s campaign sent another email “humbly asking” for support, claiming there were “less than 4 months until one of the biggest elections of our lifetimes” and saying it needed 2,000 supporters before a new deadline “TONIGHT.”

That same day, another falsely personalized email claimed the campaign had “some concern that many Democrats may have switched parties since the last election.” It asked the recipient to confirm whether they were still a Democrat or “now a Republican,” saying it needed “10 local responses” for its data to be valid.

By Sunday morning, the panic returned to Social Security.

An Aug. 2 email with the subject line “[gutted] what Trump did to Social Security” claimed Democrats were fighting “tooth and nail to SAVE Social Security from Trump’s cuts,” but warned, “the worst has happened.”

It then told the recipient that the survey “needs to begin within 5 minutes of opening this email” or “our data from your state will be INVALID.”

Taken together, the emails show a campaign relying on a steady diet of panic, guilt, fake deadlines, falsely personalized “polls,” and apocalyptic Trump warnings to shake loose cash and clicks.

Whether the campaign actually missed its July deadline is unclear from the emails alone. But the fact that the pleas continued after the deadline — with new urgent demands, new polls, and new warnings — suggests Luján’s campaign was not exactly projecting confidence.

For a longtime incumbent Democrat in New Mexico, the message to supporters was unmistakable: panic now, donate fast, or Rachel Maddow, Social Security, gas prices, recycling, and the entire Senate may apparently be doomed.

However, the panic about supposed failures to meet fundraising goals is completely false, as the last FEC filing at the end of June shows $4,396,754.26 cash on hand for Lujan, with disbursements from the campaign since last year of $2,443,667.94 — hardly a place to “panic.” Republican Larry Marker is the GOP name to take on Lujan.

Luján’s fundraising panic gets weird fast Read More »

Haaland hits panic button after poll shows gov’s race tightening

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Democrat Deb Haaland’s campaign is sounding the alarm after a Republican-backed poll showed New Mexico’s race for governor far closer than many political insiders expected.

In a fundraising email sent Thursday afternoon, Haaland told supporters she had “just got our newest poll,” calling it “a tough one.”

“It shows us trailing by 6 points,” the email stated.

The message was tied to an urgent end-of-month fundraising push, asking supporters to chip in before a deadline “tomorrow at midnight” to help the campaign hit a $50,000 goal. The email also included a graphic showing a “Republican opponent” at 49%, Haaland at 43%, and 8% undecided.

The poll referenced in the email appears to be the same McLaughlin & Associates survey released by Republican Gregg Hull’s campaign. That poll, conducted July 13-15 among 400 likely New Mexico general election voters, initially showed Haaland narrowly ahead of Hull, 46% to 45%, with 9% undecided — a statistical tie within the poll’s 4.9% margin of error.

But after voters were given more information, Hull’s campaign says the race shifted to a 49% to 43% Hull lead, the number Haaland’s own fundraising email appears to have seized on.

That means saying Haaland is simply “losing” is not the full picture. The initial ballot showed her technically ahead by one point, though statistically tied. The six-point Hull advantage came on the informed ballot, after voters learned more about the candidates.

Still, the tone of Haaland’s email suggests her campaign is taking the poll seriously.

“MAGA donors have already poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into this race, and this poll will only encourage them to spend even more trying to buy this election, flip New Mexico red, and bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda to our state,” the email warned.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” the campaign added, asking grassroots supporters to “step up right now.”

The poll comes shortly after Haaland won the June Democratic primary in a blowout and as many national observers have treated New Mexico as a safe bet for Democrats. Sabato’s Crystal Ball recently moved the race from “Likely Democratic” to “Safe Democratic,” arguing that Haaland appeared well-positioned to keep the governor’s mansion in Democrat hands.

But Hull’s campaign is trying to use the new numbers to argue the race is far from over.

“Gregg Hull is currently a more likeable candidate for governor over the polarizing Deb Haaland,” McLaughlin & Associates wrote in its polling memo, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican’s report.

“With the right resources, it’s clear that Gregg Hull can win the election,” the memo stated.

Hull also posted a campaign graphic declaring the race a “statistical tie” on the initial ballot and claiming he leads by six points on the informed ballot.

The graphic, branded with Hull’s campaign logo and the slogan “Experience Matters. Leadership That Works,” shows Hull at 45% and Haaland at 46% on the initial ballot, with 9% undecided. On the informed ballot, it shows Hull at 49%, Haaland at 43%, and 8% undecided.

Hull used the poll to ask supporters for donations, writing that the race is close because voters have not yet fully heard his story.

“This race isn’t close because New Mexicans want more of the same — it’s close because we haven’t finished telling my story yet,” Hull wrote in a fundraising email.

Haaland’s campaign appears to be making the opposite argument: that Republicans will use the poll to raise money, nationalize the race, and attack her with outside spending.

The poll also lands at a messy moment for Democrats. Haaland’s original running mate, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor but later dropped out, forcing party insiders to choose a replacement. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard narrowly won that insider vote this week after a scramble inside the Democratic Party.

Now, Haaland’s campaign is trying to turn a Republican poll into a fundraising emergency.

Whether the survey proves to be a true warning sign or merely a Republican internal poll designed to boost Hull’s fundraising, one thing is clear: Haaland’s team is no longer acting like New Mexico’s governor race is a sleepy coronation.

The race national Democrats hoped to label “safe” is suddenly being treated by Haaland’s own campaign as an “all-hands-on-deck” fight.

Haaland hits panic button after poll shows gov’s race tightening Read More »

Garcia Richard barely beats challenger for Dem LG nod

20 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico Democrats have officially chosen Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard as their new lieutenant governor nominee, ending weeks of internal party maneuvering after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver abruptly left the race.

Garcia Richard announced Thursday morning that the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee had selected her to replace Toulouse Oliver on the ticket.

“It’s official — The Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee has chosen me as our party’s new nominee for Lieutenant Governor!” Garcia Richard wrote on X. “THANK YOU. I am honored, humbled, and fired up.”

The post included a campaign graphic reading, “Thank you, SCC! I’m ready to serve and build a brighter future for New Mexico. Let’s win this!”

The Democratic Party of New Mexico also released a statement declaring Garcia Richard the winner of the State Central Committee election to fill the lieutenant governor vacancy on the ticket alongside Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland.

“Our State Central Committee of Democrats from across New Mexico spoke, and they chose Stephanie,” DPNM Chair Sara Attleson said in the release. “New Mexico Democrats could not be more excited to be campaigning for the Deb and Stephanie ticket across New Mexico.”

Attleson praised Garcia Richard’s experience in the State Land Office, the Legislature, and the classroom, saying she would bring a “highly capable and qualified voice to the Roundhouse” alongside Haaland.

But the vote was not exactly a sweeping show of unity.

According to the party’s own results, Garcia Richard received 255 votes, or 53%, while state Sen. Harold Pope Jr. received 218 votes, or 46%. Toni Pinedo received three votes, and Geoffrey Luehring received one.

Voting was conducted by electronic ballot after the July 25 State Central Committee meeting and closed at 5 p.m. on July 29. Roughly 500 SCC members were eligible to vote, and the party said 97% participated. Because Garcia Richard received a majority of first-place votes, she won automatically without the party needing to use its ranked-choice tally.

The result caps off a chaotic Democratic lieutenant governor scramble. Toulouse Oliver had won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor but later suspended her campaign, creating a vacancy that party insiders — not regular primary voters — were tasked with filling.

Garcia Richard had previously run for the office before exiting the race, only to reemerge once the slot reopened. Haaland then publicly endorsed her, giving Garcia Richard the establishment boost heading into the SCC vote.

In a follow-up post, Garcia Richard thanked the other candidates “for a spirited campaign” and singled out Pope for his “leadership and commitment to our state.”

“I look forward to working alongside him and leaders across New Mexico to build the future our communities deserve,” she wrote.

She added that she would be on the ballot with Haaland in November and said the pair would fight to “lower costs, expand access to healthcare, build safer communities, and deliver a world-class public education for every child.”

“Let’s unite and win this for New Mexico!” Garcia Richard wrote.

Democrats are now trying to present the Haaland-Garcia Richard ticket as settled and unified after a messy vacancy process that followed Toulouse Oliver’s exit.

But the numbers show Pope came within striking distance, despite Haaland already making clear who she wanted as her running mate. Garcia Richard’s win came by 37 votes out of 477 cast.

The process also highlights the unusual way the Democratic ticket was rebuilt after primary voters had already spoken. Instead of another statewide vote, the decision was placed in the hands of party insiders on the SCC.

Garcia Richard now joins Haaland on the Democratic ticket heading into the general election against Republican gubernatorial nominee Gregg Hull and Republican lieutenant governor nominee David Gallegos.

For Democrats, the announcement is an attempt to move past an embarrassing vacancy and rally behind Haaland’s preferred pick. For Republicans, it gives them a new argument: New Mexico Democrats’ general election ticket was finished not by voters, but by a few hundred party insiders.

Garcia Richard barely beats challenger for Dem LG nod Read More »

Vasquez’s ‘working in NM’ posts hit Alaska-sized problem

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U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing new scrutiny after a report revealed his social media accounts posted New Mexico district content while he was actually traveling to Alaska on a privately sponsored backpacking trip tied to a conservation dark money group led by a Democratic mega-donor.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Vasquez’s official X account posted on Aug. 10, 2025, about a visit to Hobbs High School, making it appear to casual readers as though the Democrat congressman was in southeastern New Mexico.

“I visited Hobbs High School to help serve lunch and hear about how school meals are keeping kids healthy and focused,” the post read. “Free school meal programs are a lifeline that our kids can’t afford to lose.”

But according to post-travel disclosure forms filed with the House Committee on Ethics, Vasquez was not in Hobbs that day. He was flying to Alaska for a trip sponsored by the American Lands Project, a dark money grou[ that describes its mission as connecting policymakers with “our country’s irreplaceable public lands and waters.”

The reported value of the trip, including transportation, lodging, meals, and other expenses for Vasquez, was approximately $11,535, according to the New Mexican.

The American Lands Project’s board president is identified as Thomas Campion, a conservationist who has opposed President Donald Trump’s efforts to expand oil and gas leasing in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The trip was described in disclosure paperwork as a “fact-finding trip to experience and learn firsthand about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and meet with local residents that rely on these lands.”

Vasquez’s office defended the timed social media posts as standard practice.

“It’s pretty common to post on social after we do events, which is why in any of those posts, we don’t say ‘today,’” Jake Morel, Vasquez’s press secretary and digital director, told the New Mexican.

Morel said Vasquez and other elected officials regularly spread out content to maximize attention.

“Our office and several other offices frequently bank content, which is pretty common because if, for example, I sent you five press releases at a time, you probably wouldn’t cover all five,” he said. “You maybe would cover one, and you’d probably just be annoyed I’m bombing your inbox.”

Republicans, however, said the posts gave New Mexicans the wrong impression.

“Gabe Vasquez spent that week pretending to New Mexicans that he was home working for them,” Josiah Ward, a spokesperson for Republican Greg Cunningham, said in a statement.

“Now we know he was actually in Alaska on an all-expenses paid vacation funded by a Democratic mega-donor whose life work is shutting down oil and gas,” Ward added. “We know who Gabe really works for, and it’s not the people of New Mexico.”

The timing matters because oil and gas is a massive economic force in New Mexico, particularly in Vasquez’s southern New Mexico district. Republicans note that the industry contributes billions to the state budget and supports thousands of jobs in the region.

Since the Alaska trip, Vasquez has voted at least twice against expanding energy development efforts in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to the New Mexican.

Vasquez also posted photos from the Alaska trip on Instagram last month, writing, “As a sportsman, I know the unique value of our public lands and protecting this country’s most beautiful places.”

He added, “Today’s lease sale of the Arctic Refuge is yet another sell-off to special interests that will forever alter the last frontier, Indigenous people and their traditions, wildlife, and recreation opportunities.”

Morel called the Alaska trip “a standard one taken by a lot of members of Congress from both sides of the aisle” and noted that New Mexico Democratic Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernández had also taken the trip.

But the posts continued while Vasquez was in Alaska. According to the New Mexican, photos of Vasquez at Cavern Theatre in Carlsbad were posted on Aug. 11, while the itinerary placed him in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Additional posts on Aug. 13 and Aug. 15 showed him meeting with an immigrant rights group and visiting a Carlsbad restaurant, even though he was still on the Alaska trip.

Morel rejected the idea that the posts implied Vasquez was physically present in those places at the time.

“I don’t think that in this day and age, in our digital world, that anybody posting something needs to give the impression that they are right there at that thing currently,” he said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also blasted Vasquez over the report.

“Defund the police Gabe Vasquez has been caught lying to New Mexicans once again, pretending to work while galavanting around Alaska on an all-expenses-paid trip with his fellow anti-oil-and-gas extremists,” NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson said. “Voters know Vasquez is in office to serve one person: himself.”

The controversy comes as Vasquez faces another competitive reelection battle in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. Republicans are working to flip the seat, and the Alaska trip gives them a new line of attack: Vasquez appearing to post district activity while traveling on a donor-connected trip tied to the same anti-drilling agenda he later supported with his votes.

For New Mexicans in an energy-producing district, the question is simple: was Vasquez working for them — or for the environmental donor class that paid for his Alaska adventure?

Vasquez’s ‘working in NM’ posts hit Alaska-sized problem Read More »

Terror-linked CAIR cheers Santa Fe archbishop’s support for ABQ mosque

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A controversial national Muslim advocacy group with a long history of alleged terror ties is praising Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester after the Catholic prelate issued a statement supporting a proposed mosque and community center in Albuquerque’s North Valley.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, released a statement Monday welcoming Wester’s comments and thanking him for speaking out in favor of the project, which has drawn opposition from some nearby residents.

CAIR described Wester’s statement as support for “Muslims’ freedom to build mosque” and framed the controversy as part of a broader fight against “rising Islamophobia.”

The archbishop’s statement, titled “Supporting Our Muslim Neighbors’ Right to Worship,” said he had heard concerns from residents regarding the proposed mosque and community center in the North Valley.

“As Archbishop of Santa Fe and a resident of Albuquerque, I feel compelled to speak clearly and pastorally: our Muslim neighbors have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own,” Wester wrote. “Defending that right is not only a civic duty but a core element of Catholic teaching.”

Wester also cited the Second Vatican Council, writing that the Catholic Church has long affirmed religious liberty as essential to human dignity. He said Dignitatis Humanae teaches that every person “must be free from coercion” in matters of faith.

“This principle applies universally,” Wester wrote. “It is not limited to Catholics or Christians; it extends fully to Muslims, Jews, and all people who seek to worship according to their conscience.”

He went further, saying “anti-Muslim sentiment has no place in the heart of a Christian.”

“Any hostility toward Muslims — whether expressed through rhetoric, suspicion, or opposition to their places of worship — is incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who commands us to love our neighbor without exception,” Wester wrote.

CAIR quickly celebrated the statement.

“We welcome Archbishop Wester’s principled statement defending religious freedom and thank him for speaking out,” CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said. “The freedom to worship is a fundamental and inalienable right of every American and every human being. As anti-Muslim bigotry rises throughout our nation, people of conscience and faith must stand together to encourage mutual respect.”

CAIR also noted that it had previously welcomed the Bernalillo County Planning Commission’s decision to reject an appeal and allow the planned Islamic center and mosque to move forward after months of public opposition.

But CAIR’s involvement brings its own baggage.

The group routinely presents itself as a civil rights organization. But critics, law enforcement officials, and Republican attorneys general have pointed for years to CAIR’s alleged ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Earlier this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and CAIR’s Texas chapters, seeking to stop what his office called “terrorist groups” from operating in the state.

Paxton’s office said CAIR-Texas founding board member Ghassan Elashi was convicted in 2008 of funneling $12.4 million to Hamas through the Holy Land Foundation. Federal prosecutors also named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in that case.

According to the Texas lawsuit, “CAIR’s origin story reveals its true nature.” The petition alleges the group was created after a secret 1993 Philadelphia meeting where Hamas operatives, under FBI surveillance, discussed ways to support Hamas while avoiding law enforcement detection.

The lawsuit further cites a 2009 federal court finding that there was “ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR” with Hamas.

InfluenceWatch, a project of the Capital Research Center, similarly notes that CAIR has long been suspected of supporting political Islamist movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood. It says CAIR was founded by Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad, both former officials of the Islamic Association for Palestine, which critics have described as pro-Hamas.

CAIR has repeatedly denied that it supports terrorism and has challenged state-level efforts to label it as a terrorist organization. The group maintains it is a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

Still, for critics of the Albuquerque mosque project, CAIR’s public celebration of Wester’s statement is likely to deepen concern rather than calm it.

The local debate over the North Valley mosque has already become heated, with CAIR and other supporters casting opposition as bigotry while some residents have raised concerns about traffic, zoning, neighborhood character, and broader ideological issues — such as Sharia law — that oppresses many people of many backgrounds.

Wester urged Albuquerque residents to welcome the project with “goodwill,” writing, “A neighborhood that makes room for the prayers of many is stronger, more compassionate, and more reflective of the values we claim to uphold.”

But the archbishop’s statement now has the enthusiastic backing of CAIR — a group praised by the left as a civil rights organization, condemned by Texas officials as terror-linked, and long scrutinized for its alleged connections to Hamas-linked networks.

That raises a new question for New Mexico Catholics and North Valley residents alike: Why is an organization with CAIR’s record so eager to insert itself into Albuquerque’s mosque fight?

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NM Dems reject bill to stop congressional stock trading

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All three of New Mexico’s Democrat members of the U.S. House voted against a bill to restrict congressional stock trading, even as public frustration grows over lawmakers profiting while in office.

The House passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, on July 22 by a vote of 232-198. Every voting Republican supported the bill, along with 13 Democrats and one independent. But New Mexico Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury, and Gabe Vasquez all voted no.

The legislation would bar members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual securities issued by publicly traded companies while the member is in office. It would also require members to file public notice before selling covered investments and impose penalties for violations, including a fee of $2,000 or 10% of the value of the covered investment, whichever is greater, along with forfeiture of any realized profit from an improper sale.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

Republicans framed the vote as a long-overdue ethics reform aimed at stopping lawmakers from using their positions, briefings, and access to inside information to benefit financially.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., called the legislation “a major step forward for ethics reform on Capitol Hill.”

“It ensures no lawmaker can profit off of insider information,” Steil said. “I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly take it up and send it to President Trump’s desk.”

But most House Democrats opposed the final bill, claiming it did not go far enough and objecting to the inclusion of voter ID language. Critics on the left argued the bill would still allow lawmakers to keep existing holdings and sell them with notice.

That argument did not stop 13 House Democrats from crossing party lines and voting for the measure.

In New Mexico, the vote immediately became political ammunition.

Martin Zamora, the Republican challenger running in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, blasted Leger Fernández for voting no while her own financial disclosures face scrutiny.

According to Zamora’s campaign, Leger Fernández’s net worth grew from $1.38 million when she took office in 2021 to $2.19 million in her most recent filing from 2024 — an increase of nearly 60%. Her disclosure for calendar year 2025 was legally due May 15, 2026, but Zamora’s campaign said she requested and received a 90-day extension, pushing her filing deadline to August 13.

Zamora called her vote “a clear signal of whose interests Washington insiders protect first.”

“Thirteen House Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for basic transparency and accountability. Teresa Leger Fernandez wasn’t one of them,” Zamora said. “New Mexicans are struggling to pay for groceries and gas, and their congresswoman just voted down a bipartisan bill that would stop members of Congress from trading on information the rest of us don’t have.”

“Meanwhile, her own net worth has grown by nearly 60 percent since she got to Washington, and her latest financial disclosure is delayed past the deadline,” he added. “New Mexico families deserve answers, not extensions.”

Zamora called on Leger Fernández to release her 2025 financial disclosure immediately rather than waiting until the extended deadline.

“If there’s nothing to hide, there’s no reason to wait until August,” Zamora said. “New Mexicans have a right to know whether their representative in Washington is working for them or for her own portfolio.”

Vasquez, who represents southern New Mexico’s competitive 2nd Congressional District, tried to have it both ways in a July 22 post on X.

“I support banning members of Congress from trading stocks and profiting off their positions of power, and I support commonsense voter ID requirements to keep our elections secure,” Vasquez wrote.

But he then attacked the bill itself.

“Unfortunately, this MAGA-led bill, H.R. 7008, does neither,” he claimed.

Vasquez’s statement came as he heads into another election year in one of the state’s most closely watched congressional districts. Critics are likely to see his position as election-year cover: claiming to support a stock-trading ban in theory while voting against the bill that actually passed the House.

The final roll call was clear. Republicans voted yes. A small group of Democrats voted yes. New Mexico’s House Democrats voted no.

For voters who believe members of Congress should not be able to trade on information unavailable to ordinary Americans, the vote gives them a simple question to ask: why did New Mexico’s Democrat delegation oppose even this step toward accountability?

NM Dems reject bill to stop congressional stock trading Read More »

‘Poisoned’ Gatorade at center of bizarre NM stabbing

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A 22-year-old former military man is behind bars after investigators say he stabbed his naked roommate more than two dozen times while the man slept inside an RV in Anthony, New Mexico.

Alejandro Mustafat was arrested July 15 and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center following the July 2 attack at Anthony RV Park. He is charged with aggravated battery that may cause death or great bodily harm and assault with intent to commit a violent felony.

According to police documents cited by KFOX14/CBS4, the victim told investigators he was asleep on the couch inside the RV he shared with Mustafat when he was suddenly awakened around 2 p.m. by Mustafat allegedly beating him. The victim said the attack then escalated, with Mustafat allegedly stabbing him repeatedly.

The two men reportedly knew each other from their time in the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss.

The victim told investigators he tried to protect himself by raising his hands and arms during the attack. He eventually ran out of the RV naked and sought help at the Anthony RV Park manager’s office, where he reportedly fainted, possibly because of blood loss.

Investigators later documented 26 stab wounds on the victim’s body, including injuries to his arms, chest, back, neck, head, ear, and nose.

After the stabbing, Mustafat allegedly drove himself to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office substation in Anthony and called 911, claiming his roommate had stabbed him.

When first responders met with Mustafat, he reportedly told them, “Yes, I brutally stabbed him,” before claiming that his roommate had attacked him and stabbed him while he was asleep in bed.

First responders, however, reportedly did not find stab wounds on Mustafat’s body.

Mustafat was taken to University Medical Center in El Paso, the same hospital where the victim was transported for treatment.

Six days after the stabbing, on July 8, Mustafat spoke with investigators and gave his account of what happened.

According to police documents, Mustafat said he had been living with the victim for about a month after meeting him at a Circle K in Anthony. Mustafat reportedly told investigators he had asked the victim whether he could stay in the RV while he looked for a job and a place to live.

Mustafat claimed that on the day of the stabbing, he returned to the RV after dropping his girlfriend off in Ciudad Juárez and found the victim sitting naked on the couch watching television.

He reportedly said he sat next to the victim and asked him for a drink because he was thirsty. Mustafat told investigators the victim handed him a Gatorade that he believed may have been poisoned because it tasted strange and made him feel dizzy.

Mustafat said he then went to bed and was awakened by the victim beating him. He claimed he pulled out a pocketknife to defend himself.

According to the police documents, Mustafat said that when he saw blood during the fight, he believed it was his own and thought he was being stabbed.

Mustafat also claimed he later called his girlfriend and learned the victim had tried to sleep with her. The victim denied that claim when speaking with investigators.

After being released from the hospital, the victim told investigators he had no intention of having a relationship with Mustafat’s girlfriend and said he did not know why he was attacked.

On July 22, District Judge Perea ordered Mustafat to remain jailed, finding him to be a danger to the victim and the public.

Mustafat is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

‘Poisoned’ Gatorade at center of bizarre NM stabbing Read More »

CYFD blasted after dumping U.S. teen at Mexican border to meet abusive parent

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico’s troubled Children, Youth and Families Department is facing new outrage after a 15-year-old American citizen from Doña Ana County was reportedly removed from foster care, driven across state lines, and dropped off at an El Paso border crossing to reunite with his estranged mother in Mexico despite past abuse concerns.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that CYFD staff transported the teen on July 6 to the Paso del Norte crossing in El Paso, where he was allegedly told around 8:30 p.m. to walk across the bridge into Ciudad Juárez with his belongings and meet his mother.

The child refused to cross into Mexico and reportedly spent 10 days in a homeless shelter while Texas Child Protective Services assisted him. When Texas CPS contacted New Mexico CYFD, the agency reportedly refused to retrieve the child, saying his case had been closed and he was no longer under its jurisdiction.

The boy was later escorted to Juárez and reunited with his mother on Friday. He reportedly ran away almost immediately but has since been found.

The situation has sparked fierce criticism from child welfare advocates and the America First Policy Institute’s New Mexico chapter, which said the case reflects a broader failure inside New Mexico’s child welfare system.

“The first priority of the child welfare system is the safety and well-being of children,” AFPI New Mexico Executive Director Vincent Torres said in a statement. “New Mexico abandoned that responsibility when CYFD drove a 15-year-old American citizen to the border and sent him into Mexico to live with a parent the state itself had found responsible for abuse.”

Torres added, “He told them he didn’t want to go. They sent him anyway. Then they closed the case.”

According to the Journal, the teen was born in New Mexico in 2010 to parents who were Mexican nationals. For years, he lived with family friends described in court records as godparents, along with two siblings. Publicly available court petitions reportedly show the father had been out of contact for several years and that the mother had previously been named in a substantiated abuse claim involving the child. Sources familiar with the case also told the Journal the mother was recently arrested on a criminal charge and deported to Mexico earlier this year.

At a July 6 custody hearing, which was not public, sources told the Journal that CYFD moved to dismiss the abuse case, said it had no concerns about the mother, and planned to reunite the child with her despite the teen’s objections.

CYFD defended its actions in a statement, saying, “Nothing is more important to CYFD than ensuring vulnerable children are safe, protected from harm and have a chance to thrive, and the department kept that mission front and center as it sought to unite the 15-year-old boy with his birth mother in Mexico.”

The agency said it assessed the mother, including two home visits, and “determined her to be safe and appropriate for placement of the child.” CYFD did not specify when or where those visits occurred.

The agency also said it had “several conversations with this child about unification with his mother prior to the hearing” and determined he had not suffered abuse or neglect.

“Throughout this case, the department took strenuous steps to keep the child safe and to keep a family together,” CYFD said. “The department had no legal grounds to take custody and place him in foster care.”

But Dawn Walters, head of New Mexico’s Office of the Child Advocate, raised concerns about what happened after the teen was left at the border.

“Being sent to a parent in an unfamiliar country would be a really difficult transition, a really traumatic transition for a child who already has a lot of trauma,” Walters told the Journal.

Walters said she was concerned about the child’s health conditions and prescription medication needs and had not been in contact with him since he entered Mexico.

“Per CYFD, this case is closed to them,” Walters said. “He wasn’t living with his mother, so it’s not a return. It is a concern to me that he was sent to a parent who hadn’t been providing care for him, and it’s not clear to me what steps were taken to ensure that the mother was aware of his medical needs, of his prescriptions and how to obtain those things once he was in a different country with a different medical system.”

Maralyn Beck, executive director of New Mexico Child First Network, also told the Journal the teen’s wishes appeared to have been ignored. She compared the case to deporting a child.

Under New Mexico law, Beck noted, youth 14 and older are recognized as having agency in such cases.

“This youth has made his wishes clear,” Beck said. “Unless you have spoken to the youth himself, we are ignoring his explicit concerns, his explicit wishes, and I do not believe he is safe.”

The controversy comes just months after the New Mexico Department of Justice released a blistering 220-page report accusing CYFD of systemic failures. That report stated, “Instead of safeguarding vulnerable children, the Department has prioritized family reunification at virtually any cost — returning children to dangerous caregivers with histories of substantiated abuse or chronic neglect, and who refuse treatment or services to address those underlying issues.”

DOJ Chief of Staff Lauren Rodriguez said the latest incident reinforces those findings.

“Our independent investigation into CYFD found that the agency’s failures were not isolated incidents, but the result of deep, systemic problems that have put New Mexico’s most vulnerable children at risk for years,” Rodriguez said.

“The circumstances surrounding this latest incident only reinforce what our report concluded: the systemic issues identified in our investigation continue to exist,” she added. “New Mexico’s children deserve a child welfare system that acts with urgency, competence, and accountability.”

AFPI said the reported border dropoff is not an isolated failure, but part of a larger crisis under state leadership.

“This did not happen in a vacuum,” Torres said. “For years, this state’s administration has presided over a child welfare agency in crisis, one the Attorney General’s own investigation found has repeatedly placed children in harm’s way.”

“This case is not an isolated incident,” he added. “It is the predictable result of a system that has gone unaccountable for far too long.”

For a department already under fire over child deaths, abuse investigations, staffing problems, and years of scandal, the latest report raises another disturbing question: how did a 15-year-old American citizen end up stranded at a Texas border crossing after New Mexico’s child welfare agency closed his case?

As Torres put it, “New Mexicans deserve answers, and this child deserves justice.”

CYFD blasted after dumping U.S. teen at Mexican border to meet abusive parent Read More »

ABQ priest’s church sign targets woman who called out woke messages

15 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

An Albuquerque Catholic parish already known for provocative political displays is facing new scrutiny after its church letterboard appeared to single out a local woman by name after she repeatedly criticized the parish’s left-wing messaging.

The latest controversy centers on Saint Therese Parish, also known as the Shrine of the Little Flower, on Fourth Street in Albuquerque. A photo of the parish sign shows the message: “RACISM GRAVE SIN AGAINST GODS LOVE KATRINA G.”

The apparent reference was to Katrina Griego, who has posted multiple photos of the parish’s letterboard signs on Facebook while criticizing what she described as a “woke” priest using a Catholic church for political messaging.

In one May 30 Facebook post, Griego wrote, “So sad to see this sign at a Catholic Church. This ‘woke’ priest continues to post anti ICE messages. He wants us to boycott these restaurants because they support ICE.”

Her post included a photo of a Saint Therese sign reading, “EARLY VOTING NOW ICE STILL MEETS FRONTIER – GOLDEN PRIDE,” appearing to reference the popular Albuquerque restaurants Frontier and Golden Pride. Frontier welcomes law enforcement officers, including ICE, to its restaurant, as we previously reported.

Another post from March showed the parish sign reading, “BLESSED LENT & RAMADAN.” Griego wrote, “Saw this sign today at St Therese CATHOLIC Church in Albuquerque. This ‘so called’ priest is out of control and needs to be removed.”

In January, Griego posted photos of signs reading, “NO ONE IS ILLEGAL IN GODS REALM” and “WE ARE RENEE GOOD / SOMOS RENEE GOOD,” writing that she did not believe such messages were appropriate for a Catholic church.

The political messaging has continued. Another photo provided to Piñon Post shows a Saint Therese sign reading, “NO KINGS IN USA ONLY JESUS,” an apparent reference to the anti-Trump “No Kings” left-wing protest slogan.

The situation escalated when Griego said she went to the church to photograph the sign that named her. In a Facebook Live video, Griego claimed she had a confrontation at Saint Therese and said, “I got maced.”

Griego said Rev. Vincent Paul Chávez came out shortly after she arrived and recognized her.

“He’s like, ‘Oh you’re Katrina, you’re the one that’s always taking pictures of my signs and taking video,’” Griego said in the video. She claimed Chávez said she had been “living rent-free” in his head and accused her of being “racist” and “probably a Trumpster too.”

Griego also alleged that a man she identified as Timothy Fresquez, whom she described as a groundskeeper, approached her afterward.

“He started saying that I was a f—— b—- and that I was evil,” Griego said.

She also said police told her they were going to file charges against Fresquez. Piñon Post has not independently verified whether charges were filed.

At one point in the live video, Griego said she was staying live because she feared the priest.

“I’m staying live because the priest of this church, he physically attacks people,” she said.

The controversy also drew attention from local activist Marcie May, who posted on X, “Love thy neighbor? Not if you don’t bow your knee to Islam!” May wrote that Saint Therese Parish “singles out Katrina [G]riego” after Griego had called on the parish to “align with the Catholic Doctrine.”

Chávez has been at the center of political controversy before.

In 2020, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Archbishop John C. Wester told Chávez to remove a display in front of the church that depicted a child in a cage under a foil blanket, paired with a message about children separated from parents at the border.

The Journal reported that parents at the nearby Saint Therese Catholic School were upset about the display and had threatened to disenroll their children. Wester reportedly asked Chávez to remove the cage and “refrain from any contentious, controversial and provocative signs.”

Chávez told the Journal he was “dumbfounded” by the request and defended the display as symbolic art meant to start a conversation. He also described the country’s border-separation policy as a “grave collective social sin for every American.”

The Journal noted at the time that Chávez had used the parish marquee for messages including “Black Lives Matter,” praise for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the CDC, and “No human is illegal in God’s realm.”

Now, years later, the church’s public sign is again at the center of controversy — this time not just for political messaging, but for appearing to call out a private citizen by name.

For many, the question is no longer merely whether a Catholic parish should be used to promote left-wing political causes.

It is whether a priest should use an official church letterboard to publicly shame a woman who criticized him.

ABQ priest’s church sign targets woman who called out woke messages Read More »

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