Attorney General Gary King (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Attorney General Gary King has returned part of a $15,000 campaign contribution some said violated the state’s cap on the size of political donations.
From the Albuquerque Journal:
“State Attorney General Gary King says he has returned $5,000 of a $15,000 campaign contribution from a New York City law firm, bringing King in clear compliance with new limits on the size of political donations.
“… While waiting for a committee hearing to begin Wednesday at the Legislature, King told me he returned $5,000 to the law firm just before the end of the year.
“He said he made the move after a discussion with Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored the law that imposes the donation limits.
“The Democratic AG said Feldman told him it was her intent that the law apply to all campaign contributions after the general election in 2010, including donations of money to be used to pay off debt incurred before the election.”
Last year, King accepted the donation in spite of caps of $5,000 per election – once each per primary and general – because he was applying the donation to retiring debt from his 2010 campaign. He argued that that meant the law, which took effect upon completion of the 2010 election cycle, didn’t apply.
Secretary of State Dianna Duran was investigating the legality of the donation but has not announced any conclusion.
I was among those who criticized King for pushing the limits of the contribution-limit law:
“New Mexico was supposed to be done with an era in which voters had to consider whether large contributions were affecting the decisions of their elected officials. King’s office even stated, in the fiscal impact report for the bill that eventually became the new contribution limit law, that ‘placing limits on political contributions is the most effective vehicle for addressing the current ‘pay to play’ scandals.’
“Legalities aside, of all the statewide elected officials to not think about the appearance this donation would create, our top crime fighter, the man charged with rooting out corruption, the official who should be the most conscientious about leading by example on ethical issues, is doing the opposite.”
Later, in response to an inquiry from Duran’s office about the donation, King accused me of colluding with Republicans to deflect criticism away from the governor and onto him. As I wrote in another commentary, I took that as an attempt to damage my credibility and intimidate me into silence, and I stated that his red-herring allegation would not silence me.