{"id":25989,"date":"2011-02-10T18:59:59","date_gmt":"2011-02-11T01:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=25989"},"modified":"2011-02-11T11:24:41","modified_gmt":"2011-02-11T18:24:41","slug":"schmitt-withdraws-nomination-for-cabinet-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/02\/schmitt-withdraws-nomination-for-cabinet-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Schmitt withdraws nomination for cabinet post"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Harrison Schmitt (Courtesy photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Harrison Schmitt<\/a> has withdrawn his nomination to leads the state\u2019s Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department<\/a> rather than undergoing a background check required for Senate confirmation.<\/p>\n

Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a> announced Schmitt\u2019s withdrawal this evening in a news release and said she would \u201cwork swiftly to find a qualified replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSenator Schmitt was willing to allow a private investigator access to his personal information, but he was not willing to waive that investigator\u2019s liability for any improper actions or use of that information,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile one can understand Senator Schmitt\u2019s concerns, complying with the Legislature\u2019s request is necessary to restore public confidence in state government,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I am requiring all of my cabinet secretary designees to comply with that request, and this has led to Senator Schmitt withdrawing his nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez said Schmitt underwent \u201ca complete background check by the Department of Public Safety\u201d before she nominated him.<\/p>\n

The news release included no comment from Schmitt.<\/p>\n

Schmitt\u2019s withdrawal came after Sen.\u00a0Linda Lopez<\/a>, D-Albuquerque and chair of the Rules Committee, sent out a news release announcing that she was opposing Schmitt\u2019s confirmation because he informed her that he would not submit to the background check.<\/p>\n

The Senate started conducting background checks on executive-branch appointees in 2007 to help combat ethical problems in state government. The background check, according to Lopez, is \u201can extensive review that includes a search for any prior criminal convictions and of the federal civil court records; verification of appointees\u2019 assertions related to financial circumstances or improprieties such as bankruptcies, tax liens, and outstanding loans; and a review of disclosure statements related to potential conflicts of interest and ownership in business entities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe review process is in place to protect the public and to provide the citizens of our state with an increased sense of confidence in their government,\u201d she said. \u201cAs such, there can be no exceptions to the background review process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats hammer Martinez<\/h3>\n

Democrats were quick to hammer Martinez, saying in a news release that Schmitt\u2019s withdrawal is one of a series of recent missteps.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Harrison Schmitt refusing to submit to a basic background check and withdrawing his nomination\u00a0to the increasing criticism of her handling of a gas crisis that left thousands of people in the cold, New Mexicans are starting to wonder just what kind of leadership they\u2019re getting with this new governor,\u201d Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Javier Gonzales said.<\/p>\n

From the Democrats\u2019 release:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, Martinez just last week announced an education reform team that included no New Mexicans, but plenty of Bush appointees and No Child Left Behind devotees. And, she has yet to even scratch the surface of New Mexico\u2019s most pressing issue \u2013 jobs \u2013 and has not put forward one bill supporting job creation or workforce training.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cTough times and crises are supposed to bring out the best in our leaders,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cBut in these early tests, New Mexicans have to be wondering about our new governor\u2019s judgment and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Update, 9:10 p.m.<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s a statement from Conservation Voters New Mexico\u2019s Sandy Buffett:<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Schmitt saga behind us and the natural gas debacle subsiding, we hope that Governor Martinez will take this opportunity to appoint an energy secretary who can lead New Mexico into a clean, renewable energy future. Above all, the first criteria for her next appointee must be that she or he respect the scientific consensus around\u00a0climate change.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UPDATED: Harrison Schmitt has withdrawn his nomination to leads the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department rather than undergoing a background check required for Senate confirmation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1],"tags":[119,147,107],"class_list":["post-25989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","category-uncategorized","tag-energy-policy","tag-environment","tag-roundhouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25989\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}