New Mexico’s Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is up for reelection in mere days, allegedly acted unethically in 2018, receiving debate questions prior to the the KOB-4 debate in 2018, text messages seem to show.
Screenshots released by attorney Thomas Grover, allegedly of a conversation between a KOB representative and Grisham’s campaign, seem to show that the Democrat was given an upper hand, having seemingly been handed excerpts of questions ahead of time.
“I’ve seen the questions. Want them?” one text reads. The campaign allegedly received that text two weeks ahead of the October 18, 2018 debate.
“Chris: Yeah, guys Theresa Cardenas and Theresa you have a question about water,” a followup text reads.
“Cardenas: Yes I do. Through the Rio Grande Compact, New Mexico is forced [to] share water with other states. As governor, how would you deal with the water compact case the is before the US Supreme Court,” it continues, as the texts shared other apparent excerpts from the teleprompter script.
Another reads:
Colton: Yeah, that’s right. I am here with Juliana Halvorson who is a resident of Roswell. She has a question for our candidates about immigration.
Halverson: Given the trend of municipalities choosing to be sanctuary cities and not complying with ICE regulations, as governor, what is your stance on this issue?
And:
Danielle: We have a question on crime now from Marla Gorena.
Gorena: Recidivism rates in New Mexico are higher than most of our neighboring states, with almost 40 percent of incarcerated people becoming repeat offenders. We know our current approach to crime is not working. If elected governor, what intervention programs would you take to reduce recidivism and also prevent crime before it.
Further, the text messages seemingly reveal that the apparent KOB employee was openly rooting for Grisham, concluding that she will “kill it” and adding, “I’ve never wanted someone to be our governor more than I want to see Michelle.”
“I’ve know her for such a long time,” the claimed KOB individual added, apologizing for “rambling.”
Mark Ronchetti, Grisham’s Republican challenger in this year’s race, said these revelations further demonstrate that the governor is “corrupt to the core and must be held accountable.”
“These bombshell text messages show that Michelle Lujan Grisham will brazenly cheat and deceive New Mexicans in order to attain and hold onto her power,” he said, as his campaign is urging KOB to investigate the matter “and disclose whether similar cheating occurred before this year’s debate.”
“This governor has repeatedly dishonored her office and disrespected the people of New Mexico,” Ryan Sabel, communications director for Mark Ronchetti’s campaign, said in a statement.
“She committed sexual assault and then paid off her victim with hush money. She played by her own set of rules during COVID. Now we see where it all started – brazenly cheating during a statewide television debate,” he added.
The revelation comes as President Biden travels to New Mexico today in a last-ditch attempt to give the vulnerable Democrat a boost, days ahead of Election Day.
The latest Emerson College/The Hill survey showed the two candidates in a virtual tie, with Grisham taking a slight edge within the margin of error. Thursday’s RealClearPolitics (RCP) average of polls shows the Democrat leading by four percent.
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