Lujan Grisham refuses to withdraw Indian Affairs Dept. pick despite rape charge

James Mountain, a former San Ildefonso governor who is Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s pick to lead the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, was previously indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated battery back in 2007.

According to KUNM, “in 2010, the charges were dropped because the prosecution had insufficient evidence to proceed to trial, and court records were then sealed.” 

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported at the time: 

Mountain threw the victim down on the bed and got on top of her, the report says. The victim said she told Mountain “no,” and he should stop when he began to touch her breasts under her shirt and “get aggressive,” according to the report. Mountain took off her jeans and underwear and raped her, the report says.

“When (the victim) began to scream for (her cousin) to help her, James covered her face with a white pillow he had grabbed from the head of the bed,” the report says. “(The victim) told James she could not breathe and explained she thought she was going to lose consciousness.”

When Mountain finished, the victim ran out the bedroom door, which had been locked, and woke up her cousin, the report states. She told the cousin what had happened and the cousin called 911, according to the report.

The Associated Press reported, “On Friday, as calls for Mountain’s recusal from state leaders and activists continued to surface, a spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the governor was ‘aware’ of the allegations against Mountain but does not intend to withdraw her nomination.” 

Democrat state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez said that Mountain should be “fully vetted” before being confirmed by the state Senate for the role.

“I’m very troubled by the idea of having someone with his kind of record in that position that oversees the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force,” she said.

State Sen. Shannon Pinto (D-Tohatchi) said, “I’ve been fighting this, will fight it ‘til the end,” adding, “There’s not any compromise for me in it to support it in any manner. It’s just not something that can happen right now. This is not the time. This is not the place. This is not the position that can be compromised, as far as the figurehead representing Native American people within our state.”

It is unclear if Mountain will make it through the Senate confirmation process amid the rape allegations that still loom large over his confirmation. 

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17 thoughts on “Lujan Grisham refuses to withdraw Indian Affairs Dept. pick despite rape charge”

  1. Putting Mountain to oversee the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and RelativesTask Force is like having the fox watch the hen house.

    1. Yes, why take a chance, I got the charges were dropped, but does a young girl need to get raped again? Maybe he could take a lie detector test that asks if he he took advantage of a girl before.

    2. Agree…but this is a pattern within NM government under Grisham. Maggie Screwloose Oliver presided over her own election, threatened Commissioners with jail if they didn’t certify election results they questioned and was on the committee to “verify” counts. The “fox guarding the henhouse” is fully condoned here.

  2. The road whore running this state: promoting abortion at all, not to mention up to birth (& infanticide surely after) & now trying to promote a rapist & abuser of women to be in charge of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. All of you who voted for her must be SO PROUD.

    1. Very well said and so true! Why wouldn’t she recommend him after groping a male staff member and getting away with it. She is a disgusting piece of💩 Birds of a feather flock together?!

  3. By the way, what ever happened to her grab assing the man on her staff? No inquiry, no nothing? A lot of people get fired for such things.

  4. Road whore? That’s a bit over the top, I want to paraphrase Justin Trudeau’s father, ” denounce a political opponent’s policies all you want, but personal insult is not useful or appropriate” don’t recall the gov. Getting busted turning tricks on cerrillios rd. Keep it factual folks. Insults only muddy the point.

    1. When she was serving under Richardson, she went to “official state business” parties at the Epstein Ranch. Her daughters were the same age as the girls trafficked at the ranch….yet she said and did nothing. Virginia Giuffre testified in Maxwell’s case and named Richardson as a “client” with some very personal details that the defense verified. She can’t claim she knew nothing. AND, Epstein bought the land from Bruce King, who was one of Buddy Lujan’s friends. MLG knew the deal at the ranch probably since the beginning. Road whore isn’t accurate, but trafficking enabler/pimp is.

      And don’t get me started with reports from people who worked for her at NMDOH. The reports of her bad behavior are legendary and aren’t hard to find. The most common themes are public temper tantrums, bullying employees in front of others (Riley del Rey as well as a few secretaries and clerical types) and not being able to handle her liquor at events.

  5. That is insane! He should be removed!! I don’t agree with MLG policies. Us folks in the South part of NM were devastated that she was elected again. I just recently moved to Florida. Love it here.

  6. “It is shameful that this Republican-controlled Senate rushed to confirm a flawed, ideological, and unacceptable candidate with multiple credible allegations of sexual assault and misconduct made against him to the Supreme Court. Judge Brett Kavanaugh showed the American public that he does not have the impartiality, judicial temperament, integrity, and character required to sit on the highest court of our land. His confirmation undermines the civic trust that we have in our judicial system and sends a powerful message that sexual assault survivors do not matter and will not be believed. I fear his partisan confirmation will ultimately harm the everyday lives of Americans for generations to come, which is why civil rights organizations and women’s rights groups vehemently opposed his nomination. The nation deserves better than Judge Kavanaugh, whose reactionary judicial record threatens decades of progress for a woman’s right to make their own health decisions, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and Americans’ access to health care.” Michelle Lujan Grisham on Kavanaugh

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