Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.net
Former Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
A federal grand jury is investigating potential “financial irregularities” related to former Gov. Bill Richardson’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting.
From today’s Journal article:
“The grand jury has been hearing testimony in secret since at least September, and a number of witnesses have been granted immunity, according to defense attorneys familiar with the general outlines of the investigation.
“… the Journal has learned that one area under scrutiny is whether money from campaign supporters was used to settle a threatened lawsuit against Richardson in the fall of 2007 by a woman who formerly worked in state government.
“Several people familiar with some aspects of the investigation have mentioned similarities to pending criminal charges against former presidential candidate John Edwards on allegations that his campaign supporters paid to shield the candidate from a public scandal.
“The legal issue is whether the money constituted a de facto campaign contribution made in furtherance of the candidate’s bid for federal office.”
According to the Journal, the investigation “involves several other matters tied together by potential election law violations, including possible coordination between so-called ‘soft money’ from political action committees and the campaign.”
Also interesting in the Journal article is this:
“This makes at least the fourth grand jury that has investigated Richardson, or his administration, or his campaign, since 2008. Two were completed without returning indictments, and the third – involving state investments – has been pending for more than two years.”
You can read more about the other investigations here.