Bill Richardson, pushing "executive privilege" to the limit.

Trip Jennings, New Mexico Independent, link, is working
hard to find out if Governor Bill Richardson met with Marc
Correa personally before Correa became a beneficiary of
millions of dollars worth of sweet deals involving state investment funds.


Richardson refuses to answer
a simple question; did you, or
did you not meet with Correa,
before he became the beneficiary
of millions of dollars in finders
fees on state investments?

Logic tells us that, if Richardson
did not meet with Correa, he
would say so; it would clear away
the cloud of suspicion that hangs
over the Governor's Office.

But Richardson won't answer the question, no matter how
many times it is asked. It would seem that he did meet with
Marc Correa, and now he is trying to cover it up by hiding
the inconvenient truth from stakeholders. The cover up is
enabled by the abuse of mechanism called "executive privilege".

Executive privilege has its legitimate uses. The privilege is
not unlimited, and it is the limits which Jennings is pushing.
Richardson is pushing the same limits, but in the other
direction.

So Richardson will continue to duel with Jennings and others
over the public's right to know the truth about the spending of
their power and resources. Richardson will win. In New Mexico,
the politically powerful always do. We're playing on their court.

That is why New Mexico is a national laughingstock, last in
everything, and well known for its culture of corruption.

It is time for a paradigm shift. Out with the old, and in with
the new; transparent accountability in the spending of
the public trust and treasure.




photo Mark Bralley