“Today, an extreme left-wing blog posted four-year-old material from private conversations undoubtedly sent to them by individuals or their allies who are either under federal indictment, or have had their homes raided by the FBI for their role in stealing or distributing Governor Susana Martinez’s email. That the national Left is trying to smear the first Hispanic woman governor in American history because they view her as a threat is about as surprising as the National Enquirer reporting that Elvis is still alive.
Yes, the Governor used salty language in a private conversation four years ago with close advisers and will pay the appropriate penalty to the cuss jar. Governor Martinez will not be distracted by cheap political attacks and will remain focused on continuing to move New Mexico forward.”
– Chris Sanchez, spokesman, Governor Susana Martinez
BACKGROUND ON FEDERAL INDICTMENTS FOR EMAIL THEFT AND LIKELY REASON MJ DIDN’T DISCLOSE SOURCE(S)
Mother Jones Fact Check
Just A Few Inaccuracies From Smear Effort
#1
Myth: “She Appears Ignorant About Basic Policy Issues…” (Andy Kroll, “Is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez the Next Sarah Palin?” Mother Jones, 4/16/14)
Fact:
“Ms Martinez Has A Wonkish Side. The State’s Small Budget Is Unusual In Having Turned Into Surplus. And She Cares About Education, A Sore Spot For The State.”(“How To Grab Them,” The Economist, 12/17/11)
“I Have Worked For Multiple Governors Over The Years And No Governor Is More Involved In The Nitty-Gritty Details Of Policy And Budget Than Susana Martinez. And I Have Never Seen A Governor Engaged In More Direct Negotiations With Legislators And Staff Over Policy And Fiscal Details Than Susana Martinez.” (Duffy Rodriguez, “Gov. Doesn’t Deserve Sexist Attacks,” Albuquerque Journal, 12/1/13)
#2
Myth: “Throughout The Campaign, Martinez Praised Teachers And Insisted She’d ‘Hold Harmless’ Funding For Public Education. In Private, Martinez Implied Teachers Earned Too Much: ‘During The Campaign, We Can’t Say It, I Guess, Because It’s Education, But…They Already Don’t Work, You Know, Two And A Half Months Out Of The Year.’ She And McCleskey Acknowledged That Cuts To Education Could Well Be Necessary, So Her Aides Plotted About How To Respond If They Were Ever Called Out For It Once Elected: ‘Put Up A YouTube Video That No One Will Ever See Where You Talk About Making Everyone Feel The Pain,’ McCleskey Suggested. ‘And When You Win, We Say, “See, We Said This Shit The Whole Time. What Are You Guys Talking About?”’” (Andy Kroll, “Is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez the Next Sarah Palin?” Mother Jones, 4/16/14)
Fact: Martinez Kept Her Word When She Was Elected. The Governor’s Budget Held Teachers Harmless And Balanced The Budget Without Raising Taxes And While Protecting Classroom Spending And Medicaid. Martinez Increased Pay For Starting Teachers By 6.7 Percent And Has Increased Spending On Education To Its Highest Level In State History. (Governor Susana Martinez, Accessed 4/16/14)
#3
Myth: “Internal Campaign Records And Interviews With Former Aides Suggest That She Didn’t Dig Too Deeply Into The Details Of Her Own Proposals: ‘Aren’t We The ONLY State In The US That Provides A NM Driver’s License To Illegal Aliens?’ She Asked In A November 24, 2009, Email. (At The Time, Seven Other States Had Similar Policies.)” (Andy Kroll, “Is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez the Next Sarah Palin?” Mother Jones, 4/16/14)
Fact: “Now, Only New Mexico And Washington State Issue Licenses Without Either A Social Security Number Or Proof Of Legal Presence.” (Tara Bahrampour, “Illegal Immigrants Risk Deportation By Driving Without Licenses,” The Washington Post, 10/3/10)
#4
Myth: “In Another Email, In August 2009, She Asked An Aide, ‘What Is Podash? Or Ashpod? WIPP?’ Potash Mining Is A Multibillion-Dollar Business In New Mexico, And WIPP Refers To The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, The Nuclear Waste Storage Site For The Los Alamos National Laboratory, Which Has Been A Topic Of Statewide Controversy For Decades.” (Andy Kroll, “Is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez the Next Sarah Palin?” Mother Jones, 4/16/14)
Fact: “As We Walk Through The Department Of Energy’s Field Office In Remote Carlsbad, Susana Martinez Is Explaining The Science Of Nuclear Waste Management. At The Federally Managed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, About 25 Miles East Of Here And More Than 2,000 Feet Below The Dusty, Barren Surface, The Government Deposits Much Of Its Radioactive Waste. The Repository, Martinez Tells Me, Was Built Underneath A Half-Mile-Thick Salt Formation. Carved Out Of The Salt Are Small Rooms Ideal For Holding The Waste Safely As It Decays. She Explains That The Salt Is Nonporous, So None Of The Radioactive Material Can Seep Into The Soil Above. ‘Isn’t That Interesting?’ Says The 52-Year-Old Martinez. To Be Honest, It Really Isn’t, But As The Governor Of New Mexico, America’s Ground Zero (So To Speak) For Nuclear Research And Energy Production, Martinez Is More Or Less Required To Find Such Topics Interesting. In Conversation, She Approaches Policy Issues, From Nuclear Waste To Economic Development To Education, With Earnest Curiosity.” (Michael Warren, “No Susana,” The Weekly Standard, 4/23/2012)