On Thursday, it was reported that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is running cover for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after it was revealed that she paid off former staffer James Hallinan over $62,500 over claims she poured a bottle of water over Hallinan’s genitals and groped him.
Despite the damning actions by Lujan Grisham to pay hush money to the alleged victim, Murphy said Lujan Grisham is doing a “great job” when asked about it by the New Jersey Globe.
“I think Gov. Lujan Grisham is doing a great job running the DGA,” Murphy said. “I’m its finance chair, so I don’t make the jurisdictional decisions any longer as I did when I was chair, but I think she’s doing a great job, and New Mexico, I think, is doing a very good job in the pandemic more generally.”
According to the Globe, Murphy is the “immediate past-chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. He was succeeded by Lujan Grisham, a former congresswoman, and is running in one of only two gubernatorial races this year.”
Democrat politicians in New Mexico, including U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger de Fernandez and Sens. Martin Heinrich or Ben Ray Luján, have not uttered a word regarding the payments. The Democrat Party of New Mexico has also been radio silent while Democrat congressional nominee for the First District state Rep. Melanie Stansbury has not issued a comment.
High-profile Republicans in the state, including possible gubernatorial contender Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block, have called for Lujan Grisham’s resignation amid the revelations of a payoff for Hallinan’s silence.