Scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s key spokesman, who has remained at the center of many of the Governor’s crises, Tripp Stelnicki, is jumping ship from the administration ahead of the 2022 election.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Stelnicki “told the governor in his resignation letter he was stepping down to prioritize his mental health.”
“A position of trust like this is too important – to you, the people who serve you and the people you serve – to be occupied by someone who cannot give 110%,” Stelnicki wrote in the letter.
Stelnicki is well known for his condescension of New Mexicans and rudeness to members of the press, including a KOB 4 reporter who asked him basic questions about the Governor’s “red to green” plan to lift harsh restrictions. He wrote:
Did you read the attachment to the news release yesterday and find it confusing? Please let us know if we can help you understand it. Three colors is not confusing. Checking a website— or asking your county to check a website—once every two weeks is not difficult.
During the interview with KOB, he claimed long, cold bread lines outside of grocery stores over the 2020 holidays due to Lujan Grisham’s restrictions were a “minor inconvenience.”
The Piñon Post reported on the long lines prior to the interview with KOB after the Governor’s office told KOB 4 that the lines were just “Republican talking points.” The office also claimed, “The state is not forcing anyone to stand in a crowded line, as you suggest.”
Stelnicki is also well-known for calling the Republican Party a “death cult” that wants more New Mexicans dead of the virus.
“You don’t have to ask the death cult their opinion or publish their quotes. False equivalence now is actually life or death. There is no ‘both sides’ to this. There is one group preaching accelerated illness & death because they ‘love’ ‘business’ & if you can’t see through that?” he wrote.
After Stelnicki’s announcement, Lujan Grisham claimed she was “lucky” to have him. “His intelligence and strategic thinking have helped in countless tough moments, and he has played a key role in our collective, ongoing push to better serve New Mexicans through good, proactive government,” she wrote.
Stelnicki’s departure is just the latest in a long line of other administration officials jumping ship, including cabinet secretaries, senior advisors, regulatory personnel, among others.
Throughout the brief but destructive governorship of Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico families have been devastated by ruthless lockdowns, destructive anti-energy policies destroying jobs each day, condescension from the governor and her staff, and most of all: hypocrisy.
Gov. Lujan Grisham has perfectly embodied what it means not to represent one’s constituents. At every turn, the Governor has either belittled New Mexicans or has made them suffer one way or another.
Before she was elected as governor, then-U.S. Rep. Lujan Grisham already foreshadowed her loathing for rural New Mexicans—namely ones who live in the beautiful rural town of Deming, New Mexico. While at a Santa Fe fundraiser, she said, “I met a woman in Deming. Her name is Gladys. So she’s not—she wasn’t born in New Mexico. But she chose New Mexico, and she chose Deming! I know… I didn’t mean that to be…”
But despite the many calls warning of Lujan Grisham’s radicalism on everything from energy policy to abortion, she was sent to Santa Fe to serve as governor, leading New Mexico into one of the darkest ages our state has ever encountered.
In her first few months, Lujan Grisham inflicted as much damage as possible during the 2019 Legislative Session, ramming through a radical universal background check bill for firearms, belittling New Mexico’s sheriffs, trying to pass an abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill, passing the Energy Transition Act—New Mexico’s “Green New Deal,” the creation of a new free daycare department, abolishing the “Right to Work,” raising the minimum wage, and much more.
Throughout her destructive reign, New Mexicans have received nothing but rancor from the Governor, as she and her staff have repeatedly branded New Mexicans as stupid, belittled our people across the state from Hobbs to Española, broken her COVID-19 mandates to buy luxury jewelry while New Mexicans starve, forced New Mexicans to stand in hours-long freezing bread lines over the holidays, among countless other cruel actions.
While New Mexicans were standing out in the cold, her office claimed they were just “Republican talking points,” adding that “The state is not forcing anyone to stand in a crowded line, as you suggest.” That was not true.
The Governor singled out multiple small businesses across New Mexico, dealing $60,000 fines for alleged non-compliance with her orders. Lujan Grisham also went after larger businesses, including two O’Reilly Auto Parts stores she claimed were not complying, and slapping them with $80,000 and $250,000 fines. She even went after the Republican Party of New Mexico, slapping them with an order. But big box stores like Walmart (that gave her plenty of campaign cash) were allowed to stay open.
Now, the Governor’s already high-paid staff, including communications director Tripp Stelnicki who belittled a KOB 4 News reporter, got extravagant raises during the pandemic, where New Mexicans are losing their jobs and livelihoods. The governor’s office is not only unaffected by the Governor’s cruel shutdown—they are now celebrating from their ivory towers with raises upwards of $10,000 each. Over half of the Governor’s staff already make well over $100,000 annually, while the most entry-level position in her office, “Student Intern,” was budgeted for $36,000—which is $17,000+ more than someone making minimum wage in New Mexico.
Here’s the breakdown of raises, per KOB 4:
Comm. Director Tripp Stelnicki ($18,600), Director of Boards and Commissions Melissa Salazar ($12,000), Chief of Staff Teresa Casados ($10,800), Chief of Staff Matt Garcia ($10,600), Cabinet Director Dominic Gabello ($10,600), Policy Advisor Diego Arencon ($10,000), Director of Cabinet Affairs Caroline Buerkle ($10,000) and Director of Legislative Affairs Victor Reyes ($7,500).
But the raises didn’t come without a thick layer of condescension from the ivory towers of the Governor’s Office. Press secretary Nora Sackett said, “Governor’s office staff play a critical role in the operation of the state’s executive branch and the governance of the state – all of which is amplified during a yearlong crisis.” This is just another “let the meat cake” sentiment to once again kick New Mexicans while they’re down.
Gov. Lujan Grisham’s continual hatred for everyday New Mexicans highlights the desperate need our state has for leaders who TRULY represent the people. For years, people like Lujan Grisham and many in the Legislature have sat around and enriched themselves while New Mexicans suffer. In 2022, if we ever are going to rid New Mexico of “the Grish” and her minions in the Legislature, we need new blood in the resistance to fight back against these swampy politicians’ disregard for New Mexico values and our people’s livelihoods. Keep up the fight and never relent!
On Monday, the Santa Fe New Mexican released an interview with one-term Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, which included an interview trying to downplay her COVID-19 response, which has decimated countless New Mexico businesses and livelihoods.
During the interview, Lujan Grisham admitted how her strict mandates would hurt her at the polls, with the New Mexican writing that “there will be parents of school-age children who may never vote for her again because of classroom closures.”
“ ‘Be mad at the pandemic,’ is what I tell everyone,” said Lujan Grisham, adding that “it’s not political.”
She reflected on her decisions during the pandemic and said, “The very first important decision on March 11 is that we’re going to ask businesses to shutter and people to stay home, and we’re going to get ready to close schools.”
However, her only regret she said is that she wasn’t able to influence Republican members in the National Governor’s Association to shut down their states as she did. “That’s something I really pride myself on, that I can bring people of different parties and different perspectives together, and I couldn’t do it at the federal level,” she added.
She also bemoaned her inability to convince Tribal governments to also follow her economy-killing mandates, saying “And I still have, you know, moments where I just feel poorly that I was unable to get other policymakers on the same page.”
Tripp Stelnicki, the Governor’s communications director who has repeatedly been an enemy of the common New Mexican, said that he feels confident about the “internal polling” done on the governor’s performance, saying she gets “high marks” from New Mexicans.
“That might run counter to the perception you get from angsty corners of social media, but I think New Mexicans overwhelmingly recognize that a crisis calls for decisive leadership and a willingness to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions,” he said. He added, “You can’t make assumptions in politics, but we feel pretty good about public support.”
It appears the Governor’s spokesman has just downplayed the countless New Mexicans who have been decimated by the Governor’s lockdown as simply living in “angsty corners of social media.” He previously downplayed the hours-long breadlines at stores due to the Governor’s lockdown as a “minor inconvenience” while claiming Republicans who oppose Lujan Grisham’s dictates are members of a “death cult.” He also belittled a local television news reporter for asking basic questions.
Now, the Governor is trying to gin up support as the state remains in lockdown, comparing the state’s current position to that of the Great Recession of 2008. Lujan Grisham said, “I don’t want anyone … to assume that we are in the same productive economic position that we were in at the end of ’19. But I think New Mexicans should not expect New Mexico to languish like we did in the last recession.”
However, the Governor’s disdain for New Mexicans during her weekly press conferences doesn’t appear to merely be stemming from “angsty corners of social media.” Here are some of her worst:
Gov. Lujan Grisham mask shames Españolans at press conference: “by I didn’t see a single mask, not one. Not in a parking lot, not in a grocery store that we passed, not at a convenience store, not at a gas station, not by someone in a car, not hanging on a rearview mirror…”.@GovMLG presser reel 2/3: MLG claims she supports “independence and authority of judges” despite having NM Supreme Court overrule local judge MLG claims State Police will cite Sheriffs and local Law Enforcers MLG says militant mask enforcement increases mask-wearing.@GovMLG presser reel 3/3: MLG goes on a rant against New Mexicans leaving the state, citing her tracking of peoples’ phones to know where they are coming from and going to. .@GovMLG shames New Mexicans for attending a loved one’s funeral, tells them to say goodbye to them over FaceTime
On Wednesday, after the Piñon Post exclusively reported on a statewide protest against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s breadlines at grocery stores due to a 75-person capacity limit, the Governor has loosened the restriction to 25% capacity at grocery stores and big-box stores.
Thousands of New Mexicans shared the Piñon Post’s story about the protest which was planned for this Saturday, December 19th at 11:00 a.m. in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Clovis, Santa Fe, Portales, Edgewood, Roswell, Farmington, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Grants, and Carlsbad. It appears all that noise from Piñon Post viewers led the Governor to let up on her restrictions. The mainstream media refused to cover the planned protests by multiple groups across the state.
The new orders by the New Mexico Department of Health read as follows:
The state’s emergency public health order on Wednesday was amended to accommodate slightly increased capacity inside essential retail spaces, such as grocery stores and certain other large “big box” retailers that generate a percentage of their revenue from consumable food and drink products, as cold weather grips most of New Mexico.
In accordance with the state’s graduated red-to-green system of measuring the risk of viral spread in specific counties, the changes establish that essential retail spaces:
May operate at 50 percent of maximum occupancy at the Green Level
May operate at 33 percent of maximum occupancy at the Yellow Level
May operate at 25 percent of maximum occupancy at the Red Level
Previously, essential retail spaces could operate with either a limit on maximum occupancy or a specific number of customers at one time, whichever was smaller. The change eliminates the latter provision.
Lujan Grisham said, “With colder weather here, we want to ensure that people aren’t gathering in lines for an unsafe length of time, especially in communities where there are fewer retail options for essential needs. We are grateful to the numerous companies and stores across New Mexico that have made every effort to keep their customers, employees and communities safe.”
However, when the strict grocery store limits originally took effect, the weather was well into the 40s and on some days below freezing. The Piñon Post reported on many people, including elders and those with pre-existing conditions waiting in the cold lines to retrieve basic goods such as bread, eggs, milk, and toilet paper.
The Governor’s press office repeatedly downplayed New Mexicans’ suffering due to her edict, with the Governor’s communications director claiming the breadlines were simply a “minor inconvenience,” while another statement from her office said the breadlines were just a “Republican talking point.”
The above artwork is not an actual photograph of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in Hawaii. It is a composited image.
On November 20, a rumor began floating around on social media that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Hawaii at that time. As all good reporters do, the Piñon Post reached out to the Governor’s press secretary, Nora Sackett, and communications director, Tripp Stelnicki, to ask for comment on the claim.
Despite repeated requests for comment from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office, there was no response to our emails and calls.
There was not much information to go by to verify the unsubstantiated rumor that the Governor was in Hawaii, however, a possibly pre-recorded interview between Lujan Grisham and PBS’ Judy Woodruff, aired on the 20th. This may suggest the Governor was not in Hawaii, at least on the days prior to the interview hitting the airwaves.
Since the Governor’s office refused to offer a response to the Piñon Post, we were forced to file an Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) request, to which we were given no records tying Lujan Grisham to a Hawaii getaway. We did, however, uncover interesting conversations between the Governor’s staffers, showing their true feelings about the people of New Mexico.
Reporters from other networks (not the Piñon Post) asked Lujan Grisham’s office if she was in Hawaii, and were given responses from the communications team — something never before afforded to the Piñon Post.
KOB 4 News’ Jaden Torres asked press secretary Nora Sackett, “Nora, we have received several emails from people stating that the governor was seen at the airport about to leave on a flight to Hawaii this weekend. She said they have several friends that are flying through and they spotted her, supposedly. Reaching out to confirm this allegation, or debunk it. Appreciate the time!”
The Governor’s press secretary offered a lengthy answer claiming the Governor took no such trip while bashing Republicans and judging the asker of the question for being at the airport:
In my perfect dream world you would first ask any one of those people to show where they got this supposed information from. The governor is at home in Santa Fe, where she very clearly was in her livestreamed press conference just yesterday. She is not leaving her home – as all New Mexicans have been instructed to do to stop the spread of the virus. She has not left the state since before the outset of the pandemic. People saying things on the internet doesn’t make them true. Please feel free to encourage Republicans on Facebook on my behalf to get new hobbies 🙂 Also please remind your viewers that no one should be traveling through any airports right now unless it is for absolutely essential purposes!
Brittany Bade of KRQE 13 News asked Sackett, “We are getting inundated with messages from people who are very upset, claiming that the Governor is in Hawaii. I’m not seeing that information anywhere and it’s probably just coming from a random Facebook post, but I’d like to clarify. Is the Governor in Hawaii?” Sacket replied with the same condescending answer sent to KOB’s Jaden Torres.
In another email exchange, the Governor’s “Special Assistant,” Chris Garcia in an email titled “Let’s go to Hawaii” told communications director Tripp Stelnicki, “Taking calls on a fake FB post that the GOV is in Hawaii.”
Stelnicki replied, “We’ve gotten asked about it. Sooo dumb. I’m at her houe [sic] right now– can confirm, not in Hawaii!”
It cannot be proven for certain if the Governor was in Hawaii, however, based on the PBS interview and internal correspondences between the Governor’s staff, it can be concluded that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham likely was not in Hawaii on November 20th.
Also revealed in these conversations, both internally and externally, the Governor’s communications team has no issues with being open about their disdain for Republicans and reporters merely asking questions.
Yesterday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s press secretary, Nora Sackett, retweeted a post showing screenshots of a conversation between people asking if they will take the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available.
The conversation shows one person saying they were tested five times, while another person responds with “You weren’t given a vaccine because it isn’t out yet cousin.”
Sackett wrote in her retweet, “I’m crying but also I want to die,” adding in a subsequent tweet, “Also there is like a not insignificant chance these are New Mexicans I swear to god.”
The post appears to be insinuating that Sackett thinks those in the conversation are stupid while joking that they are likely New Mexicans.
Also there is like a not insignificant chance these are New Mexicans I swear to god
A far-left state representative, Elizabeth Thomson (D-Albuquerque), commented, “Yikes. Some education is obviously in order. Unfortunately, all of the disinformation is rampant and strong.”
Yikes. Some education is obviously in order. Unfortunately, all of the disinformation is rampant and strong.
However, those on the right have taken offense to the off-color joke by the press secretary, with one commenting, “This is the disdain that @GovMLG and her staff have for New Mexicans. While New Mexicans die, her staff insinuates that New Mexicans are stupid. PATHETIC. #nmpol #nmleg”
This is the disdain that @GovMLG and her staff have for New Mexicans. While New Mexicans die, her staff insinuates that New Mexicans are stupid. PATHETIC. #nmpol#nmlegpic.twitter.com/tqa0DDrj1s
State Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) wrote, “Wow! I don’t know why I keep feeling shocked by the behavior of the governor’s communication staff. They continue to show their distain [sic] for New Mexico residents. #nmpol #nmgov #nmleg”
Wow! I don’t know why I keep feeling shocked by the behavior of the governor’s communication staff. They continue to show their distain for New Mexico residents. #nmpol#nmgov#nmlegpic.twitter.com/9dVceyYj5w
This is just the latest condescending comment toward New Mexicans coming from the Governor’s press office, with communications director Tripp Stelnicki belittling a local television news reporter.
On Friday, Gov. Lujan Grisham’s office released their new county-by-county “Red to Green” COVID-19 plan, which has been noted is a major flip-flop in policy on her part. Her staff, which has already adopted a general tone of hostility toward all New Mexicans, is now blatantly condescending local news stations, including the liberal KOB 4.
KOB 4 News sent questions to the Governor’s office asking about the new strategy since they were not allowed to ask questions during the announcement Zoom meeting, as reporters usually are allowed to do. (Not the Piñon Post, however, since we have not been granted such access despite multiple correspondences).
KOB Reporter Grace Reader asked simple questions to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s communications director Tripp Stelnicki, was met with pompous and condescending responses. Some responses questioned the reporter’s intelligence, some blasted county officials, and some answers so short that they didn’t adequately provide responses.
Reader asked Stelnicki, “Will county leaders be notified when they’re good to move to the next color via the state? Or do they need to be checking the DOH webpage every other Wednesday?”
Stelnicki responded with:
The map updates every other Wednesday. If county officials care about the spread of COVID in their communities, they are already checking this map regularly to identify the risks to their constituents so they can protect their communities they represent. County leaders are well-compensated and qualified professionals who are more than capable of reading the public health order and communicating within their own communities.
In another question, Reader asked, “For business owners who are going to be monitoring these developments closely to see what they can and can’t be doing, where do they need to be looking? Does the state have any concern that this county-by-county approach will confuse businesses and patrons about what they’re allowed to be doing?”
Stelnicki returned with a more long-winded response full of snark, but this time taking a jab at the reporter, appearing to question her ability to read attachments from the Governor’s news release:
Did you read the attachment to the news release yesterday and find it confusing? Please let us know if we can help you understand it. Three colors is not confusing. Checking a website— or asking your county to check a website—once every two weeks is not difficult. Many other states operate precisely this way. Many communities and legislators, particularly Republican legislators, have been demanding exactly this county-by-county framework for months, please make the time to ask them whether they are glad to see it now and hold them accountable to their prior statements on the matter. These questions assume that this method of enacting and publicizing the restrictions is somehow comprehensively different than what has been the case for the last 9 months. It is not. Businesses and anyone else who wants to monitor these developments can look to the exact same places they’ve been looking. The levels will be clearly demarcated on the state’s websites. We are creating web widgets they can use on their own websites.
Reader then asked, “We noticed that for the first time, close quarters businesses are being asked to open at 25 percent capacity or 10 people, whichever is smaller. Can you tell us what forced the 10 people cap to be added to the capacity requirement? Additionally, did you all consider lifting the 75 person requirement on essential retail businesses (I know a lot of people have been upset about the lines at large box stores)?”
As usual, Stelnicki responded by claiming the hours-long lines New Mexicans have been standing in to get basic goods and food are a “minor inconvenience.”
His response in-full:
A line is a minor inconvenience, for which the state is sympathetic. The state is also sympathetic to the overworked nurses and doctors in the state’s hospitals and the thousands of families who are suffering and grieving right now The state will continue to prioritize saving lives and protecting New Mexicans while providing for as much safe economic day-to-day activity as possible.
The Piñon Post reported on the long lines last week after the Governor’s office told KOB 4 that the lines were just “Republican talking points.” The office also claimed, “The state is not forcing anyone to stand in a crowded line, as you suggest.” Coincidentally, Stelnicki now appears to be punishing the television station (a station that has bent over backward to placate the Lujan Grisham Administration at every turn: see below) with his latest tantrum, throwing not only the reporter under the bus, but also county officials, New Mexicans, and Republicans in general for pointing out the Governor’s massive flip-flop on policy.
.@GovMLG’s allies in the mainstream media are working overtime to deliver the Governor’s scare tactics to the people of New Mexico. Objective journalism? Not.
New Mexicans responded to the Governor’s office’s latest snark-fest on Twitter.
State Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences), wrote, “Just wow! Her SILENCE towards his condescending tone IS AGREEMENT. Apparently we are not ‘all in this together’”
Matt García Síerra wrote, “Hey NM media, kudos for keeping @GovMLG staffers honest. Their petty responses indicate you’re making them do their jobs. You know, the jobs they’re still cashing in on, while New Mexicans are unemployed.”
It should be noted that Stelnicki and his counterparts in the Governor’s office have full funding and do not face budget cutbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, the Governor’s staffers make around $100,000 each annually.
Grace Reader herself even took to Twitter, sharing the Q&A article and writing, “As a reporter, it’s my job to ask questions, especially when your livelihood and health is at stake. Today we asked about the next phase of the public health order, here’s how the state responded to those questions”
The condescending responses by Stelnicki are just the latest from him toward anyone daring to offer substantive questions or points he disagrees with. In April, Stelnicki wrote on Twitter that Republicans are a “death cult.” The Governor’s office did not apologize or respond. However, Stelnicki went silent for months, with Lujan Grisham’s press secretary Nora Sackett speaking publicly for the office in the interim.
Sackett is also known for being hostile to the press, such as in September when Española Mayor Javier Sanchez rebuked the Governor for chiding Españolans on mask-wearing despite only observing the alleged non-compliance from the back seat of her chauffeured car.
Sackett said, “Every media outlet that covered the mayor of Española’s self-righteous op ed will now also cover his flagrant hypocrisy and violation of the public health order, right?”
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, Sackett claimed, “New Mexico Republicans want you and your loved ones to get COVID-19 and potentially die” because the Party called out the Governor’s unreasonable 5-person household limit for gatherings.
It should also be noted that every time the Piñon Post has reached out to Nora Sackett or Tripp Stelnicki for comment, we have never heard a word back, and instead have had to use the Information of Public Records Act (IPRA) any time we have had a question regarding the Lujan Grisham Administration. On average, this process takes two weeks to produce information, and it is mostly not adequate due to redactions.
On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s communications director, Tripp Stelnicki tweeted out a jab at anyone who is trying to reopen New Mexico’s economy — a group mostly led by Republicans worried about fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, the New Mexico Republican Party pushed back on Lujan Grisham sending cease and desist orders to New Mexico businesses staying open to provide necessary goods and services, despite the Governor labeling many businesses “non-essential.”
On Tuesday, the New Mexico Business Coalition unveiled its plan to reopen the state’s economy, beginning with allowing businesses who can operate under the current guidelines of 20% capacity to reopen. “When you look at all the goods and items that can be purchased in a big box store, for example, why could we not purchase those locally? If we were to do that, we would get more businesses open,” said NMBC President Carla Sonntag.
During Lujan Grisham’s Thursday address, she made clear she has no intention of letting up on restrictions yet, saying, “…we are not at a point currently where it would be safe to reopen.”
The same day as the Governor’s address, Tripp Stelnicki wrote up a tweet directly targeting the Republicans who are aiming to help reopen the state’s economy. He wrote, “You don’t have to ask the death cult their opinion or publish their quotes. False equivalence now is actually life or death. There is no “both sides” to this. There is one group preaching accelerated illness & death because they “love” “business” & if you can’t see through that?”
You don't have to ask the death cult their opinion or publish their quotes. False equivalence now is actually life or death. There is no "both sides" to this. There is one group preaching accelerated illness & death because they "love" "business" & if you can't see through that?
Republican state leaders rebuked Stelnicki’s jab at their concerns as a “death cult,” with the Republican Party responding, “This outrageous tweet, suggesting that Republicans want to get more New Mexicans to contract COVID-19, is shocking and disgraceful. The tweet shows to what lengths the Governor’s Office will go to scare the public and politicize the pandemic. The tweet is disgusting and twisted, and the Governor’s Office is way out of line with this monstrous claim. Nothing is further from the truth.”
Moderate Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow of Silver City suggested Stelnicki’s tweet goes against state laws mandating state employees cannot be “engaging in a political activity while on duty,” citing the New Mexico statute.
The Governor has not responded to her communications director’s statement, which appears to have violated state statutes barring state employees from political activity while on duty. The Republican Party of New Mexico has demanded an apology from the Governor’s office in response to Stelnicki’s jab at Republicans.
Previously to working for Gov. Lujan Grisham, Stelnicki worked as a reporter for the left-wing paper, the Santa Fe New Mexican, and has bashed President Trump and Republicans on countless occasions, such as in September 2019 when President Trump visited Rio Rancho, New Mexico for a rally. Stelnicki mocked the President about how he would pronounce “Rio Rancho.”
how is trump gonna pronounce "rio rancho" boy that's gonna be a wild one
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Governor’s spokesperson, Nora Meyers Sackett, said, “The tweet in question does not reference any person, group, or organization specifically by name — if someone seems to think it’s about them, I’d say they’ve placed that upon themselves.”
