- Dem senator slams Biden’s shifting border policy, warns he could become ‘asylum denier-in-chief’ Fox News
- Menendez worries Biden could become ‘asylum denier-in-chief’ in weighing family detention policy Yahoo News
- Sen. Menendez: Biden’s policies risk making him ‘asylum-denier-in-chief’ POLITICO
- Karine Jean-Pierre torched for ‘word salad’ defending Biden’s border policy: ‘40 seconds of total nonsense’ Fox News
- Ron DeSantis rips Joe Biden’s border policy as violation of oath of office Florida Politics
Tag Archives: Dem
Dem Indiana mayor arrested for alleged drunk driving: ‘I want to apologize’
The Democratic Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was arrested Saturday evening for allegedly driving while intoxicated and causing an accident.
Mayor Thomas Henry is in his fourth term as mayor and was first elected in 2008. A statement from his office apologized for the incident and clarified that no one was hurt. Henry, 70, is running for a fifth term against Republican Tom Didier, a member of the city council.
“I want to apologize to the residents of Fort Wayne and my family for the poor decision I made to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking at a local function. I accept full responsibility for my actions. I’m relieved that no one was hurt in this incident,” Henry’s statement read, according to local media.
“The Fort Wayne Police Department handled this situation with professionalism and followed all of the correct procedures and protocols,” it continued.
INDIANA POLICE: FOUR FATAL SHOOTINGS IN GARY WERE NOT ‘RANDOM’ OR GANG-RELATED
Tom Henry, the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana. (City of Ft. Wayne)
(Ft. Wayne)
Mayor Tom Henry, a Democrat, stands in front of Fort Wayne. (Ft. Wayne)
(Ft. Wayne)
GARY GRADUATION SHOOTING: 3 INJURED AFTER MULTIPLE GUNMEN OPEN FIRE AT CEREMONY IN INDIANA
Police released Henry on Sunday morning. The Allen County Sheriff’s Office has not released specific details regarding the mayor’s arrest, and the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Didier also released a statement on the incident, calling for the community to pray for Henry’s family.
“I have known the Henry family for much of my life. Cindy Henry actually was one of the first people to encourage me to run for public office. These relationships go beyond politics. I would encourage everyone to pray for them and all those involved in this accident and I hope that no one was seriously harmed,” Dider wrote, according to Wane.com.
Indiana Police officers gather at a crime scene. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(getty images)
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Henry is the longest-serving mayor in Fort Wayne’s history.
Senate likely to take up social spending bill in December as Dem slog continues
“Due to the House pushing back consideration of the [Build Back Better Act ] to the week of November 15th, it is likely that the Senate considers the NDAA this upcoming week as we await House passage of the BBBA,” Schumer told Democrats in a Dear Colleague letter on Sunday morning. After one week in session, Congress is scheduled for a Thanksgiving break next weekend.
The move toward NDAA on the Senate floor in the coming days makes it all the more likely Congress will be working well into December to finish out Biden’s domestic agenda. The Senate parliamentarian needs to go through the reconciliation bill before bringing it to the floor, making sure none of the the language runs afoul of the bill’s protections from a GOP filibuster. Schumer said he hopes to finish that process this week.
Senators will also begin meeting with the parliamentarian this week to debate whether key components of the bill have a direct budgetary effect, called a “Byrd Bath.” Some House moderates want a full Congressional Budget Office score for the legislation before voting; some of that information will arrive this week. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has also said he wants more fiscal information about the bill’s impact before moving forward.
“On a bill of this magnitude, this process takes time and patience,” Schumer said Sunday. “Timing of consideration of the BBBA in the Senate will largely depend on when the House sends us the bill and when CBO finalizes their scores for all of the committees, which are needed to complete the ‘Byrd Bath’ process.”
Unlike other legislation that requires 60 votes to advance, the reconciliation bill needs just a simple majority to pass the Senate, though there are strict rules on what can be included. Schumer also needs lockstep unity from all 50 Democrats to support it, and Manchin has made it clear he’s in no rush as he raises concerns about increasing inflation.
However, Brian Deese, a top economic adviser to Biden, called for quick congressional action in the face of inflation.
Americans “are looking for us to deliver on the things that matter most in their lives,” Deese said on ABC‘s “This Week“ on Sunday.
Senate Democrats also have to prepare for a vote-a-rama, an opportunity for unlimited amendments on the legislation that could test Senate moderates’ support for key components, like paid leave.
Though reconciliation continues to hang over Schumer’s caucus, moving to NDAA will pacify some restive Democrats. House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has criticized Schumer for not moving more quickly to the bill, and several Democrats on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee have privately lobbied Schumer for action.
What’s more, action on NDAA will probably help move forward a big Schumer priority: the competitiveness bill Schumer began pushing through Congress this spring. That bill has yet to pass the House, but Schumer confirmed the Senate may put it in the must-pass defense bill as an amendment to force negotiations with the House.
Schumer conceded that the Senate will need to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown after Dec. 3 and possibly need to address the debt limit next month as well. In addition, he said votes on Biden’s nominees will continue, sometimes at “inconvenient times.”
With holidays looming and tons of work to do, Schumer asked Democrats to “keep your schedule flexible for the remainder of the calendar year. … I am confident we can get each of these important items done this year, but it will likely take some long nights and weekends.”
NJ Dem leader refuses to concede to GOP truck driver, says thousands of ballots ‘recently found’
Democratic New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney says thousands of “recently found” ballots supports his refusal to concede to a Republican challenger who ran a low-budget campaign.
“The results from Tuesday’s election continue to come in, for instance there were 12,000 ballots recently found in one county,” Sweeney said in an email to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday. “While I am currently trailing in the race, we want to make sure every vote is counted. Our voters deserve that, and we will wait for the final results.”
Sweeney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment on the matter, specifically on identifying which South Jersey county recently found the ballots.
NEW JERSEY TRUCK DRIVER EDWARD DURR DEFEATS STATE SENATE PRESIDENT, LONGTIME DEM
TRENTON, NJ – JANUARY 21: New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney greets New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie prior to being sworn in for his second term on January 21, 2014 at the War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey. Christie begins his second term amid controversy surrounding George Washington Bridge traffic and Hurricane Sandy relief distribution. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Sweeney has been in the state Senate seat in South Jersey’s 3rd district since 2002.
The Associated Press called the race for Republican truck driver and political newcomer, Edward Durr, Thursday morning, with 100% of precincts reporting at 32,742 votes for Durr to 30,444 for Sweeney.
By Sunday morning, Sweeney has not conceded. Democratic State Sen. Nicholas Scutari is poised to succeed Sweeney as Senate president, NJ.com reported Friday.
Durr, a Raymour & Flanigan furniture truck driver, ran a campaign based on his conservative and blue collar values. He ran a low-budget campaign, shooting a campaign video on a smartphone and rarely hitting the trail to meet with voters, CBS New York reported.
“It didn’t happen because of me. I’m nobody. I’m just a simple guy,” Durr said last week of the projected win. “It was a repudiation of the policies that have been forced down our throat, people told they can’t go to school, can’t go shopping. You cannot continue to tell people they can’t do things when we live in the freest country in the world.”
NJ TRUCK DRIVER ED DURR ON VERGE OF UPSETTING STATE SENATE PRESIDENT, LONGTIME DEM LEADER
“I want this job. I don’t want all the fame, but I want this job,” Durr said. “I want to be the voice. I want to be somebody who can speak for the people. Because, one, I got a big mouth, so I like to make myself heard.”
He made headlines last week for spending only $153 on campaigning, which he pushed back on as only showing data from May or June.
This image from video provided by Fox News shows Edward Durr, a furniture company truck driver and first-time office holder, as he appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Primetime” program with guest-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. Durr, a furniture company truck driver and first-time officeholder, defeated longtime state Senate president, Democrat Steve Sweeney, in New Jersey’s 3rd Legislative District, according to results tallied Thursday, Nov 4, 2021. (Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Primetime” via AP)
(Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Primetime” via AP)
“You guys go in on the New Jersey Elect, obviously, and you find $153 filed. Well, that was back in May, June. That shows how behind New Jersey government is on keeping things updated,” Durr said.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial election last week also saw a surprisingly tight race between Democratic incumbent Phil Murphy and Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Murphy has declared victory, but Ciattarelli has also refused to concede.
A confident Jack Ciattarelli likes to say that he’s the only New Jersey Republican who can unseat Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in this November’s election.
REPUBLICAN JACK CIATTARELLI REFUSES TO CONCEDE NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL RACE
“I don’t want people falling victim to wild conspiracy theories or online rumors,” Ciattarelli said in a video last week. “While consideration is paid to any and all credible reports, please don’t believe everything you see or read online.”
Though the race between Murphy and Ciattarelli was surprisingly tight, strategists and politicians say no other New Jersey race was as surprising as the Durr-Sweeney race.
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“No one on God’s earth could have predicted that,” Democratic state Sen. Richard Codey said, according to NJ.com.
“Anyone who said they saw this coming is lying. Even Sweeney’s opponent didn’t see this coming,” Democratic strategist Joshua Henne said of the race.
In Virginia governor’s race, Dem group ‘posing’ as Republicans to try driving wedge into GOP: report
A political committee tied to Democratic strategists is reportedly posing as a conservative group to try to drive a wedge between Virginia gubernatorial nominee Glenn Younkin and Republican base voters in November’s closely watched election.
During the past week, some voters in Virginia have been targeted with ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google and Snapchat questioning Youngkin’s commitment to the Second Amendment, Axios reports.
“While the NRA backs Donald Trump, they REFUSED to endorse Glenn Youngkin. We can’t trust Glenn Youngkin on guns,” one of the ads says.
TIGHT VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE BETWEEN MCAULIFFE AND YOUNGKIN WITH FIVE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION
The ads come from a group called Accountability Virginia PAC, which on its website doesn’t give details about who’s behind the organization. But the group’s online donation page is accessed through ActBlue, the main Democratic fundraising platform; its bank account sits with Amalgamated Bank, a financial institution owned by labor unions and frequently used by pro-Democratic political groups; and consultants at a firm that works with Democrats helped incorporate Accountability Virginia, according to Axios.
According to public records, the group spent roughly $25,000 to run the ads, which have been viewed at least 1 million times. The ads appearing on Snapchat appear to be targeted to users in largely rural and heavily Republican parts of western Virginia.
Youngkin, a successful businessman and first time candidate, is facing off against former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in an election that’s seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs. The latest polls indicate McAuliffe holding a very slight advantage in the contest, with five weeks to go until the election.
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Virginia, once a top political battleground, has shifted blue over the past decade, and it’s been a dozen years since Republicans won a statewide election in the commonwealth. Virginia – along with New Jersey – are the only two states that hold gubernatorial races in the year after a presidential election, and thus grab outsized attention.
There’s also a long-running trend of voters in the state defeating the party that controls the White House. McAuliffe temporarily broke that tradition in 2013 with his election as governor. Virginia governors are barred from serving two straight terms.
November’s election in Virginia, as with this month’s gubernatorial recall election in California, is being viewed as an early referendum on President Biden’s tenure in White House.
But while Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s landslide victory in the California recall contest came in a deep blue state, Virginia remains a competitive battleground. And a McAuliffe loss in November, or even razor-thin victory, will set off major alarms with Democrats aiming to hold onto their congressional majorities in next year’s midterms.
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Following in Newsom’s footsteps, McAuliffe has been spotlighting Youngkin’s ties to former President Trump and his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates.
But Youngkin, a wealthy former investment executive who’s poured more than $17 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign, has been able to keep his distance from Trump as well as other issues that could trip up Republicans in a purple state.
Biden administration stops Border Patrol using horses in Del Rio amid Dem outrage
The Biden administration is prohibiting Border Patrol agents from using horses in the Del Rio sector amid Democratic outrage over images that lawmakers falsely claimed showed agents using “whips” to stop Haitian migrants getting into the U.S.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing Thursday that the images, which involve a Border Patrol agent grabbing one of the migrant’s shirts, are “horrible and horrific” and noted that an investigation is ongoing.
BORDER PATROL AGENTS FACING DEMOCRATIC ATTACKS SHIFTED TO DESK DUTY AMID INVESTIGATION
Sept. 19, 2021: U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
“I can also convey to you that [DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] also conveyed to civil rights leaders earlier this morning that we would no longer be using horses in Del Rio,” she said.
The revelation comes on the fourth day of controversy related to the false claims that agents used “whips” against Haitian migrants on Sunday – a claim that was initially debunked by Mayorkas and Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz on Monday, who noted that agents were wielding long reins to control their horses in difficult riverines.
Other Border Patrol sources have noted that agents will spin or twirl their reins in order to move the horse forward as a signal to the horse. So far no images have been presented of migrants being hit by the reins.
However, as the White House condemned the images, by Tuesday Mayorkas had changed his stance.
HARRIS ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’ BY IMAGES OF BORDER PATROL AGENTS ON HORSEBACK BLOCKING MIGRANTS, AGENTS RESPOND
“I was horrified by what I saw,” Mayorkas told CNN. “I’m going to let the investigation run its course. But the pictures that I observed troubled me profoundly. That defies all of the values that we seek to instill in our people.”
On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said she supported an investigation and was “deeply troubled” by the allegations.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer decried “images of inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants by Border Patrol—including the use of whips.”
The agents involved have since been moved to administrative duty.
The narrative that the agents used “whips” has continued to gather steam among activists and left-wing Democrats, who have then infused a racial narrative into the mix, given that the Haitians are Black.
“What we witnessed takes us back hundreds of years,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said this week. “What we witnessed was worse than what we witnessed in slavery … cowboys with their reins, again, whipping black people.”
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As those claimed to continue to move forward, without evidence, agents expressed anger to Fox News about the move, which they said will make them less safe.
“It will make patrolling extremely difficult along with security. This is insane. The agents did nothing wrong,” one agent told Fox.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Peter Hasson contributed to this report.
Pelosi deserves $200M for San Francisco park, Dem says: ‘She does more for America’ than others in Congress
House Republicans tried in vain Thursday to block a proposed $200 million allotment for improvements to a park in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco district.
The money would be part of a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill currently being debated on Capitol Hill.
GOP lawmakers proposed a half-dozen amendments to divert the $200 million to other needs but each Republican proposal was defeated by the Democrat-majority House, the Washington Times reported.
One Democrat, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, defended the allocation for the Presidio, the 1,500-acre park and golf course near the Golden Gate Bridge, claiming Pelosi deserves the money for her hometown because of the hard work she undertakes as speaker, the report said.
PSAKI VS. PELOSI: WHITE HOUSE SAYS $3.5T PACKAGE ‘WILL BE PAID FOR,’ SPEAKER SUGGESTS OTHERWISE
“If it weren’t for her working 24/7, and she does, to keep this place going, we wouldn’t be going,” Cohen said, according to the Times. “She does more for America than any other member, I would submit in this Congress, times 10. So I support the proposal.”
Republicans, on the other hand, derided the budget line item as a “Pelosi payoff” and “an obvious giveaway” as the nation faced challenges such as taking in thousands of Afghan refugees, battling the coronavirus and addressing security issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., said Democrat Cohen’s remarks were revealing.
PELOSI HEARS FROM GOP AS DEM BILL DIRECTS $200M TO PARK IN HER SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT
“It fully takes the mask off what this is all about,” Tiffany told the Times. “This is a Pelosi payoff. This is where somebody puts themselves before their office.”
“This is a Pelosi payoff. This is where somebody puts themselves before their office.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert also opposed the Presidio plan, proposing instead that the park upgrades be allocated just one dollar.
“Just because she is speaker doesn’t mean she gets to bloat this bill,” Boebert said, according to the Times. “This is an obvious giveaway to Speaker Pelosi and the powerful elites in San Francisco that support her, and the U.S. taxpayer gets stuck with the bill.”
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., noted that members of the Presidio Trust, which oversees the San Francisco park, had contributed nearly $19 million to Pelosi and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, including $1 million in June, the Times reported.
PELOSI’S TEXAS VISIT DRAWS GOP BACKLASH AMID AFGHANISTAN CRISIS
“I know the taxpayers in my district don’t want to fund Nancy Pelosi’s golf course,” Westerman told the Times. He noted that Pelosi’s San Francisco district includes some of the highest-priced real estate in America.
“I often feel sorry for my colleagues when I come home and think: They don’t have Chinatown. They don’t have the Mission. They … don’t have the diversity that is so strengthening and inspiring and just beautiful to behold.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2021. (Associated Press)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2021. (Associated Press)
Earlier this month, Pelosi told the Nob Hill Gazette in San Francisco that the Presidio was among her favorite places to visit when she returns home from Washington.
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“I’m a regular at the Presidio … It’s just so beautiful to walk and see the bridge and then walk back and see the city,” she told the publication.
Pelosi also lamented that her fellow members of Congress don’t get to enjoy the splendor of San Francisco when they return home to their own districts.
“I often feel sorry for my colleagues when I come home and think: They don’t have Chinatown. They don’t have the Mission. They don’t have a Hunters Point. They don’t have the diversity that is so strengthening and inspiring and just beautiful to behold.”
Dem strategist’s tweet about Lindsey Graham’s COVID diagnosis panned
Kate Coyne-McCoy, the chief strategist of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, faced swift criticism late Monday over a tweet about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
The Republican from South Carolina—who had been fully vaccinated—announced earlier in the day that he came down with flu-like symptoms on Sunday. He said he was diagnosed with the virus on Monday by the House physician. His symptoms are mild and he said he will be quarantining for 10 days.
Coyne-McCoy took to Twitter and posted, “It’s wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend. #COVIDISNOTOVER #LINDSEYGRAHAM,” she posted.
Even at a time when the political divide in the country seems like it could not get any deeper, posts hinting at the death of a political opponent seem to cross an imaginary line of civility. But individuals who tweet out these posts have often weighed the risks and have determined that they play to their base.
The Rhode Island Democrats and Coyne-McCoy did not immediately respond to after-hours emails from Fox News. The tweet was initially screengrabbed by a reporter from the Free Beacon.
In March, Rhode Island Public Radio called the hiring of Coyne-McCoy, a registered lobbyist, a “clear signal” that the state’s Democratic Party was intent on moving to the left. The report said that while she is not the party’s executive director, she “will be the person responsible for leading the party’s political efforts.”
When former President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 last year, many Democrats seemed to put politics aside and sent the president well wishes. But some of his notable detractors seemed to view the infection as a political vulnerability during the 2020 election and used it to describe him as reckless.
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Graham has been an advocate for the vaccines and received his jabs in December. He said during a visit this spring to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston that “the sooner we get everybody vaccinated, the quicker we can get back to normal.”
New Mexico state Dem leader resigns amid racketeering, money-laundering probe
New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton resigned Friday amid a criminal investigation involving alleged racketeering and money laundering.
The Democratic state lawmaker has “unequivocally” denied the allegations but wrote in a letter to New Mexico’s secretary of state that she felt her resignation was in the state’s best interest, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“This is a decision that weighs heavily on me, and which I have made after a tremendous amount of consideration of the best interest of the people,” she wrote. “In short, because I must devote a significant amount of time and energy to fully defend against these allegations, I believe it is in the best interest of this state and the House of Representatives that my position as both a member of the House of Representatives and Majority Floor Leader be replaced with a representative who can fully and competently resume the tasks and duties that are necessary to continue serving this great state.”
Her decision was supported by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic leaders in the Statehouse.
“These are incredibly serious and significant allegations,” Grisham, a Democrat, said Friday. “I anticipate a rigorous and thorough law enforcement investigation.”
New Mexico House Majority Floor Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton speaks following the end of the state’s annual legislative session in Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 20, 2021. (Associated Press)
House Speaker Brian Egolf released a joint statement with House Majority Whip Doreen Gallegos and House Majority Caucus Chair D. Wonda Johnson on Friday: “Given the weight of the allegations against Rep. Stapleton and the ongoing investigation, her resignation from the House is appropriate and in the best interest of the Legislature and the state.”
STATE LAWMAKER DENIED HOLY COMMUNION AFTER VOTING IN FAVOR OF PRO-ABORTION BILL
State Republican leaders in the Senate called the evidence “damning” in a statement Friday, according to the New Mexican.
“Corruption by public officials has long plagued our state and we must send a message that no person, regardless of title or status, is above the law,” the statement said.
“Corruption by public officials has long plagued our state and we must send a message that no person, regardless of title or status, is above the law.”
Authorities executed search warrants at the Albuquerque Public Schools offices and Stapleton’s home this week as part of the investigation, which also includes alleged illegal kickbacks and possible violations of a law governing the conduct of state lawmakers.
Stapleton oversees career technical education for Albuquerque Public Schools, the largest school district in the state and the top employer in Albuquerque. She is on administrative leave.
District Superintendent Scott Elder’s allegations of fraud prompted the investigation into Stapleton’s conduct earlier this year, connected to her dealings with Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC, a company that provides computer software to the district.
“Our previous system did not establish adequate controls over this employee,” Elder wrote in an email to district employees earlier this week. “The internal processes failed to stop this fraud. For this, I apologize to you and the public. Most of all, I apologize to our students and their families. I’m deeply sorry for the harm done as a result of this.”
Stapleton told the district the company provided a unique interactive program called CyberQuest, giving it as a justification for sole-source contracting, according to a search warrant affidavit released Wednesday. The district said the program appeared to be a standardized online quiz that wasn’t used by many students.
Investigators and school district officials questioned the existence of the company because it had no physical presence and only a Washington, D.C., address and New Mexico post office box.
Stapleton intervened when the company’s contract with the school district appeared to be in jeopardy, providing documentation and acting as a go-between, according to a search warrant affidavit.
While it had a sole source contract for years, the company went through the formal bidding process in 2019. The district stuck with the company but for less than it had been paying in prior years. Overall, the district paid the company more than $5.4 million from 2006 until May 2021.
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The search warrant affidavit showed that Stapleton had access to the post office box where checks were being sent to Robotics, and video surveillance showed her depositing checks from the school district for Robotics on multiple occasions.
Stapleton’s legislative actions and more than $950,000 in checks from the company to nonprofits, a restaurant and a bank account linked to her are also being investigated. From there, some money went directly to Stapleton, investigators said.
Stapleton, a former teacher, began serving in the Legislature in 1995.
the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dem New Mexico Gov. Grisham concerned with Biden’s energy agenda: ‘Doesn’t make any sense’
New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has concerns with President Biden’s moratorium pausing oil and gas leasing on federal lands that she said “hurts New Mexico.”
Within his first week in office, Biden signed an executive order to temporarily suspend new oil and gas leases on public lands and offshore waters for drilling and fracking for 60 days.
“I’m clearly concerned that right out of the gate with very little guidance, we have an announcement to stall … a moratorium on lease applications, and the reality is: a lot of oil and gas … in the Permian [Basin] is on private land in Texas,” she said during a Wednesday event with the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
The Delaware Basin is one component of the Permian Basin — the largest oil basin in the U.S. — located partially in the southeastern area of New Mexico.
More than 60% of New Mexico’s oil and gas production is on federal land while 55% of state wells are located on federal land, according to the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD).
ALASKA WAS ‘OPENLY’ TARGETED BY BIDEN ORDER, MURKOWSKI CLAIMS
More than 50 gas companies produce more than a million barrels per day from the Delaware, supporting about 18,000 jobs and helping to produce millions in tax revenue for the state, Forbes reported in January. The New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee confirmed to Fox News that 18,000 is a “fair estimate.”
Twenty-four wells located in the Delaware, about half of which is federal land, produced more than 500,000 barrels of gas in 2020, Forbes reported.
BIDEN’S BAN ON OIL AND GAS LEASES ON FEDERAL LANDS A ‘DIRECT ATTACK’ ON WYOMING, SAYS GOVERNOR
Grisham continued: “So, wherever you are — wherever you are in the country or on the chamber, however you feel about that — you can simply just move, and that just hurts New Mexico, and there are no environmental standards there.”
She added that her administration has “initiated both conversations and a pretty strongly worded letter that this doesn’t make any sense.”
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“The last issue is: It’s an economic problem for the state, but rather, it’s also a message to states to not do anything and wait for you to do it, and you’re not going to get as far as fast. If you’re looking for innovation [in] environmental policy, you’re going to stall that,” the governor said.
Biden’s moratorium is an effort to combat climate change in the U.S. The White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News.