Governor admits she messed up with discretionary funds
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she "dropped the ball" when it came to finding a way to use some of her contingency funds to pay for food for needy children or those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, she found herself dealing with "bad press," as she put it during a virtual news conference with reporters Friday, when it was discovered she had spent some $6,500 on groceries and alcohol while holding small in-person meetings at the governor's mansion in Santa Fe.
The spending drew the scrutiny of the media and the ire of some Republican lawmakers, who said the governor should not have been engaging in such spending and social events when so many New Mexicans were struggling to make ends meet.
Receipts show more than $6,500 was spent on groceries, from Wagyu beef and tuna steaks to several purchases of alcohol, including bottles of tequila, vodka, gin, wine and beer. Tripp Stelnicki, a spokesman for the governor, said earlier this week the goods were not just for Lujan Grisham but for members of her staff, including her security detail, as well as for visitors.
Read more: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/governor-admits-she-messed-up-with-discretionary-funds/article_bb1298a4-72ea-11eb-af34-8b6d017c2c5e.html
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