This month New Mexicans were treated to an absolutely surreal exercise in dissembling courtesy of their attorney general, one that would almost be amusing if it wasn’t coming from the state’s top lawyer on taxpayers’ time and dime.
When confronted with a civil lawsuit investigation that concluded his office had been made aware of an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud scheme at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center back in 2008 — and the fact his staff claimed it had known about the case for only a few months — New Mexico Attorney General Gary King offered the astonishing explanation that his “folks” were “just trying to be indefinite” and not say too much about an ongoing investigation. His “folks” also haven’t tried to prosecute the case criminally — four years in. And that should prompt New Mexicans to ask what else have they gotten from this attorney general. The answer would include: ♦ No review of the certification of 115 police officers either convicted of a crime or disciplined for conduct that indicates “a lack of good moral character.” ♦ No criminal charges in the alleged pay-to-play practices involving state investments that have cost taxpayers millions — despite civil lawsuits laying the groundwork for criminal conduct. (Though in this case, King could reasonably point across the street to federal inaction as a mitigating factor.) ♦ A three-year dragging prosecution of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and others in connection with millions in federal taxpayer cash that’s been unaccounted for since the 2004 and 2006 elections. Vigil-Giron and her co-defendants have yet to get their day in court; taxpayers have yet to get any answers to where their money went. ♦ A 16-month investigation into whether a State Investment Council contract that started out at $30,000 but ballooned over six amended versions to $5.1 million should have been put out to bid, as it exceeded the $50,000 threshold. The decision — yes — came after taxpayers had already paid the bill. ♦ Just 53 cents recovered for every public dollar spent investigating Medicaid fraud, estimated at $75 million annually here. ♦ A sweet plea deal for former Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr., who admitted to fraudulently using campaign funds and his government credit card, among other crimes. ♦ A $20,000 reprimand from a state judge for withholding salary and other records in violation of the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. King then got extra petty and asked the court to slap a lawyer with a like $20,000 penalty for having the audacity to ask for the public records. He was denied. ♦ Six years of violating federal law by submitting federal campaign finance reports with the signature of a political committee treasurer (pay-to-play civil defendant and former Educational Retirement Board Chairman Bruce Malott) who left soon after King’s 2004 race for Congress failed. So just what has New Mexico Attorney General Gary King accomplished in the past five years? The action side of the ledger is woefully short, even if you count his campaign about the dangers of Pedobear, the prosecution of 12 whole cases of human trafficking in four years and duplicative legislation on federal foreclosure rules that could make the dream of home ownership even more elusive. King’s best defense is that he’s not one to toot his own horn and his office tries to “hold things close to the vest.” The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but at some point, for the good of New Mexico, they at least need to be engaged. Under the state Constitution, King cannot run for a third consecutive term. The final question: Does King have the commitment and drive to actually deliver some results and finish out this one? This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
