A federal probe that has included the questioning of state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, is the talk of politicos in
At this point, Rodriguez is not accused of any wrongdoing, but she has been questioned by the FBI in connection with a probe related to the Pojoaque Pueblo’s political dealings. Several members of the pueblo have been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury next week, the Santa Fe New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal are reporting, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has demanded the pueblo’s financial records related to political donations for the last 11 years.
Rodriguez told The New Mexican for an article published Friday that she hadn’t been served a subpoena and didn’t know what the FBI agents who recently visited her home wanted. She has apparently worked as a consultant for the pueblo since 1993, and is paid about $45,000 per year, she told the newspaper. She works on federal legislation and other issues.
It’s not clear what or who the investigation is targeting. The Journal reported that investigators also want the pueblo’s files on recipients of educational funds. The pueblo’s governor has accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office of retaliation because he wrote an opinion piece published in April in The New Mexican denouncing former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, who was fired last year.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens on Tuesday. Since we’re talking about a probe that might touch public officials who deal with the pueblo, it’s worth nothing that the pueblo is located in the Senate district of Carlos Cisneros, D-Santa Fe, and the House district of the speaker, Ben Lujan, D-Nambé. I don’t know if that means anything, but it’s worth mentioning; however, this pueblo is well-connected, and its reach extends far beyond its own representatives in state government.
And, since Rodriguez works on federal issues for the pueblo, we don’t even know whether the probe relates to the pueblo’s dealings with state or federal officials.