Free Republic

About two weeks before he left office, Gov. Bill Richardson's staff handed over his office's records to the State Records Center and Archives. But there was one condition. Richardson agreed to turn over his records under the condition that for the next eight years, only four people would have access or be able to grant access to the documents — Richardson himself; his chief of staff, Brian Condit; general counsel Justin Miller; and scheduler Janis Hartley. Richardson's action is allowed under a state law passed in 1967, Records Center Director Sandra Jaramillo said ... Attempts to reach Richardson and his...

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson threw his support behind Mohamed ElBaradei in Egypt on Monday, even as the Nobel laureate criticizes the Obama administration for its approach in the region. Richardson, who recently flew to North Korea on what the White House said was an unofficial trip, said on MSNBC that ElBaradei is the United States’ “best hope” to replace Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who he said he hopes “goes soon.” He acknowledged that ElBaradei, whom protesters have embraced, has been “taking shots at the United States.” ElBaradei told CNN on Sunday from his home that President Obama’s approach...

Former Gov. Bill Richardson signed a contract with a child care workers union on his last day in office that the new administration says could cost taxpayers a half-million dollars. The contract covers an estimated 2,600 child care workers under contract with the state Children, Youth and Families Department to provide home care for the children of low-income parents. It sets up an arbitration and grievance process for child care providers who take state payments and establishes a system in which dues are deducted from paychecks and sent directly to their union. Martinez's staff contends the contract will require CYFD...

Once aimed at completion last year, the $209 million taxpayer-financed project in the southern New Mexico high desert stands half-finished. In her first two weeks in office, a wary new governor sacked both the Spaceport Authority's board and its executive director. Records show the ambitious project launched under Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson has faced construction delays and a lack of planning. Competition from other states interested in commercial space flights continues to loom. There's also the prospect that the state may need to spend an additional $10 million to $20 million to build a second runway to deal with the...

Unsettling revelations about the Richardson administration keep coming to light even as the former governor eases back into private life. In the midst of ongoing federal investigations into pay-to-play allegations and insider investment deals involving the State Investment Council and the Educational Retirement Board comes word of a fishy deal that died thanks to some sharp-eyed former state staffers. What was afoot was a plan to invest $100 million of New Mexico taxpayers' money in a Baltimore casino deal. The arrangement included a familiar cast of characters — former State Investment Officer Gary Bland, Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer, and former...

In his quest to become "anonymous and insignificant" former Gov. Bill Richardson today got himself appointed to be a "goodwill ambassador" for the Organization of American States. Secretary General (José Miguel) Insulza asked former Governor Richardson to assume once again the charge of Special Envoy for Hemispheric Affairs, a position he held from 2006 to 2007. The meeting gave the North American politician an opportunity to share with the head of the hemispheric Organization his gratitude for the trust placed on his experience, which will allow him once again to confront the challenges of regional migration as OAS Special Envoy....

An 88-year old commercial real-estate magnate — and Bill Richardson campaign contributor — convicted of embezzling and stock manipulation is among 19 people who received executive clemency this year from New Mexico's outgoing governor. Eddie Gilbert, who in the 1950s was called "the boy wonder of Wall Street," served two prison sentences for crimes committed in New York decades ago. A Richardson spokesman said Wednesday that Richardson's action regarding Gilbert is not an actual pardon...Richardson does not have the power to pardon federal crimes. The governor of New Mexico also doesn't have the power to pardon crimes committed outside the...

The Hispano Round Table of New Mexico, representing more than 50 groups, unanimously passed a resolution saying the Democratic governor was "ruthless, dishonest, deceptive, dishonorable, contemptuous and abusive" toward their community, failed to create a promised state Department of Hispano Affairs, and misled prominent Hispanic groups with that promise. A spokesman for the governor, Gilbert Gallegos, said Richardson "will not lower himself to respond to such a ridiculous assertion." The resolution said the Hispano Round Table was making "a national and international call to censure Richardson." The resolution demanded he "immediately stop representing and speaking for or on behalf of...

SANTA FE, N.M. — The showdown between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid has fascinated the American public for nearly 130 years with its classic, Old West storyline of the frontier lawman hunting down the notorious gunslinger. As it turns out, the feud isn't completely over. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is considering granting a posthumous pardon to Billy the Kid, angering descendants of Garrett who call it an insult to recognize such a violent outlaw. Three of the late lawman's grandchildren sent a letter to Richardson this week that asked him not to pardon the outlaw, saying such an...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is considering granting a posthumous pardon to Billy the Kid, angering descendants of Garrett who call it an insult to recognize such a violent outlaw.

Billy the Kid was a killer and a thief. So why is the governor of New Mexico thinking of pardoning him? Because he was also a snitch. Stephanie Simon explains why New Mexico may give Billy The Kid a pardon for a crime he committed in 1879. Plus, President Obama may cut corporate taxes and why 2010 was turbulent for airline travelers. The outlaw testified against three men accused of gunning down a one-armed lawyer in 1879. Some historians say he would never have done so unless he had been told he wouldn't be prosecuted for some of his crimes....

Gov. Bill Richardson's administration and Gov.-elect Susana Martinez continued to play tug-of-war Wednesday over a state operation that is charged with processing DNA samples and maintaining related records on thousands of criminals across New Mexico. The incoming Republican governor, Democratic legislative leaders, prosecutors, defense attorneys, victim advocacy groups and others have opposed the department's plan to relocate the lab.

The State Fair Commission, whose members are appointed by the governor, had been scheduled to consider an eleventh-hour, back-room deal enabling the Downs at Albuquerque to build a new slots casino. Craig Swagerty, general manager of Expo New Mexico, the agency that runs the fair, said the meeting was canceled because he didn't expect a quorum of commissioners to attend. Maybe commissioners realized the deal just didn't look good with Richardson leaving office Friday. The Downs and its officers — including Richardson good buddy Paul Blanchard — contributed more than $300,000 to Richardson's two campaigns for governor. Blanchard also was...

Whether he was simply ruminating to the world or had inside information, an Albuquerque pastor and freelance columnist sparked international speculation about Gov. Bill Richardson's next career move with an article suggesting the departing governor might become America's next secretary of state. Michael Williams, who runs a family counseling ministry in Albuquerque and pens occasional columns for the website Examiner.com, wrote a Christmas Eve piece saying that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was contemplating retirement and that Richardson is a natural replacement for her in the Obama Cabinet. What happened next shows the bizarre nature of information in the Internet...

A report says Hillary Clinton could step down as Secretary of State and would potentially be replaced by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Gov. Bill Richardson took the oath of office in 2003 under the shadow of two federal investigations — one involving national security and the other dealing with stock price manipulation. He leaves office this week with another probe lingering, this one into how the son of a good friend and political adviser made millions of dollars from state investments. In between, there was the investigation into allegations of state contracts for campaign cash that derailed his nomination to President Barack Obama's Cabinet. Richardson's appointments of political advisers, supporters and contributors went deep into state agencies, boards and commissions, eliminating the...

US “troubleshooter” Bill Richardson, who just returned from a trip to North Korea, is likely to be tapped to succeed Hillary Clinton to become the next U.S. Secretary of State, Yonhap News Agency said Saturday citing a report. “Numerous sources are pointing toward New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as possibly replacing Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State in 2011,” Exminer.com said. The possibility is opening up, with some circumstantial signs backing up the view. For example, the current U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton, is suffering from heart conditions and she is said to want to spend...

“I postponed the trip twice at the request of the administration,” Richardson said on MSNBC. “They signed off on this last trip.” Richardson later said on CNN that when he spoke with officials before his trip, “the administration said, ‘As long as you say that it’s a private trip, go ahead.’ ” He also added, “While I was in North Korea, I did talk to the State Department.”

SANTA FE — Gov. Bill Richardson says he will establish a Santa Fe-based international peacemaking institute after leaving office at year's end. Richardson, who returned to New Mexico late Tuesday after an unofficial mission to North Korea, told the Journal in a Wednesday interview that the institute will focus on brokering peace accords and rescuing hostages. The two-term Democratic governor has secured an office in Santa Fe's downtown area and plans to call the institute the Richardson Center for Peace and Dialogue. "It's not going to be big," Richardson said. "It's not going to be affiliated with anybody. It will...

The US denied any official links to the visit of a former high ranking American diplomat to N Korea over the past week but officials on condition of anonymity told AHN that there is a constant contact with the traveling former diplomat.On the question of Richardson meeting with the Obama Administration after his return, Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman told journalists, “Governor Richardson is on a private trip and there are no plans that I’m aware of.”PJ Crowley, the State Department spokesman denied contact with Richardson saying, “I’m not aware that we’ve had any contact with him since he...