ALBUQUERQUE: Christmas Day, high-ranking Democrat consultant and operative James Hallinan came out with an accusation that Governor Lujan Grisham grabbed him in the crotch, while at a campaign staff meeting when he was new to Governor Lujan Grisham’s campaign. While Hallinan was originally reluctant to release details of his story, he’s spoken to the media more and more as the week has progressed releasing key details of an incident he says has left him scarred and horrified. Hallinan released the following text that he sent to the New Mexico Governor’s office here:

The event Hallinan describes would have been very intimidating and horrifying for anyone, male or female. He claims he tried to make a public record and quit the campaign, but was pushed to stay on the campaign and discouraged from talking about the incident.

We previously wrote about Hallinan’s connection to Democrat circles, which lends credibility to his story because he’s a dedicated Democrat who has spent many, many years in politics. Hallinan has a lot to lose if the incident didn’t occur. In an interview with the New Mexico Political Journal, Hallinan stated that people including Albuquerque Councilor Pat Davis were passing on threats from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in an effort to keep him quiet, “I get calls from people like [Albuquerque City Councillor] Pat Davis passing along threats, and with his own threat that ‘the Albuquerque City Council won’t fund Somos ABQ,’ which is a client of mine. I had to laugh and tell him ‘I don’t make any money off Somos ABQ’. Although the City does provide funding for it, which is why Davis threatened me. But people are so afraid of the administration that they pass on threats that don’t even make any sense.”

In addition to Hallinan, another man is speaking out with allegations that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sexually assaulted him. Eddie Dehart has reposted a video he made over a year ago about the incident where he claims Governor Grisham assaulted him. Dehart’s video can be viewed here.

It is important that victims who have been harmed by powerful people in powerful places come forward. It is ironic is that Governor Lujan Grisham agreed on the campaign trail when she called for victims to come forward and demand their voices be heard.

But it wasn’t just D.C. stories Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham gave credibility to on the campaign trail. She demanded Democrats, including Lieutenant Governor (LG) candidate Senator Michael Padilla, terminate his campaign for Lieutenant Governor after allegations came to the surface that he had sexually harassed and made derogatory comments about women eleven years before. And he did drop out of the LG’s race over the allegations. He was also ousted from New Mexico Senate Dems caucus leadership.

When will Governor Lujan Grisham stop trying to threaten Hallinan for coming out with his claim, agree to “empower sexual assault survivors to tell their stories,” and, “rise to the occasion,” and be open to a third party investigation of the alleged sexual assault from her campaign? Or does sexual assault only matter when it doesn’t implicate her? And where is the media? Where is Russ Contreras of the Associated Press? Why haven’t Dan Boyd and Dan McKay of the ABQ Journal written more than a story that quotes Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham verbatim? Where’s the cutthroat guerrilla journalism of the New Mexico Political Report– oh, we forgot, they’re the 501(c)(3) arm of Pat Davis’s old haunt ProgressNow and their former opinion editor is long-time progressive operative Alex Curtas who now formulates progressive thoughts released through New Mexico’s Secretary of State Maggie T. Oliver. Will the media finally do their job?

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