SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s reelection campaign reported spending more than $72,000 last year on legal expenses, but isn’t saying much about the reasons for the expenditure.
The Democratic governor’s campaign previously reported paying $150,000 over multiple payments as part of a settlement reached with a former staffer. The ex-staffer, James Hallinan, accused Lujan Grisham of sexual mistreatment during a 2018 meeting.
Lujan Grisham has strenuously denied the allegations made by Hallinan, who worked as a spokesman for Lujan Grisham during her 2018 general election campaign. Her campaign has said the settlement was reached to avoid a prolonged legal dispute and to prevent a distraction at the apex of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given that backdrop, the governor’s campaign spokeswoman Kendall Witmer addressed the $72,556 payment to the Albuquerque-based Freedman, Boyd, Hollander and Goldberg law firm Wednesday, but did not specifically respond to questions about whether it was related to the Hallinan settlement.
“The campaign retained the firm to represent and advise it on legal issues,” Witmer told the Journal.
The October 2021 legal expenditure was among roughly $1 million in total expenses reported this week by Lujan Grisham’s campaign over a recent six-month period. The governor also reported raising nearly $2.7 million for her reelection bid and has about $3.7 million in her campaign account.
Five Republicans are vying for GOP nomination and the chance to run against Lujan Grisham in the Nov. 8 general election. The governor is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
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