One of New Mexico’s most powerful lawmakers, Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, is facing serious scrutiny following a legislative ethics hearing on Friday, where investigators presented evidence that the veteran Albuquerque Democrat verbally berated a staffer during the 2024 legislative session.
The accusation stems from a February 27 incident involving Michelle Jaschke, who coordinates capital outlay programs for the Legislative Council Service. According to testimony, Jaschke emailed Sen. Stewart’s office after the deadline for capital requests, inquiring whether the senator had submitted her required documentation. What followed, according to Jaschke, was a barrage of hostility.
Special counsel Lorna Wiggins, who conducted the harassment investigation, told the Legislative Ethics Subcommittee that Jaschke received a reply email from Stewart in all capital letters — a format Jaschke interpreted as “screaming.” Minutes later, Stewart allegedly followed up with a phone call, during which she shouted and called Jaschke “stupid.”
“She described the call as a verbal attack,” Wiggins said. “The encounter affected her so deeply that she was unable to work the next day, citing both mental and physical distress.”
Wiggins, a labor and employment attorney, determined Stewart’s conduct fell within the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy, which broadly defines harassment as behavior a reasonable person would find “insulting, intimidating, humiliating, or degrading.”
Sen. Stewart’s attorney, Ray Vargas, acknowledged the lawmaker’s actions were inappropriate. “She wasn’t just impolite — she was downright rude,” he admitted. But he insisted the incident didn’t meet the legal threshold for harassment. “This was an unfortunate outburst in a high-stress situation, not an act of intimidation or coercion.”
Vargas explained the context: Stewart had submitted nearly $4 million in capital outlay requests on time for her district, one of the poorest in the state. When she received an email suggesting the forms were missing, she lost her temper. “She was beside herself,” Vargas said.
Former Supreme Court Justice Richard Bosson, who chairs the subcommittee, emphasized the group’s role is to determine whether a violation of the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy occurred and whether sanctions should be recommended. A formal written order is expected soon.
In a statement read aloud during the hearing, Stewart expressed regret. “I believe it’s important that we legislators treat everyone with kindness and respect, especially our staff,” she wrote. “I failed to do that. I apologized to Michelle, and I’m now seeing a counselor to help ensure I handle stressful moments better in the future.”
The subcommittee concluded its deliberations in executive session. A final decision on possible disciplinary action is expected to be made public in the coming days.
Crickets….