Democrat New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gubernatorial campaign has paid tens of thousands of dollars as part of a settlement with a former male staffer who says that she poured water on his crotch and then proceeded to grab him under his clothes.
“The five monthly payments of $12,500 are outlined in a campaign finance report filed late Monday by Lujan Grisham’s campaign with the Secretary of State’s Office,” The Albuquerque Journal reported. “They are listed as legal expenses, with one payment a month from November through March.”
The report said that the campaign has paid at least $62,500 as part of the settlement with James Hallinan, who was her spokesman during her 2018 campaign. He now has his own communications company.
“Governor Lujan Grisham and Mr. Hallinan have resolved any differences or issues to their satisfaction,” Hallinan’s attorney Rachel Berlin Benjamin said in a statement. “I am not able to provide any further information.”
Hallinan accused Grisham of “pouring a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes as she laughed, an incident he said took place in front of other campaign staffers,” the report added. Grisham and her campaign deny the allegations, saying that there is no merit or truth to the claims.
The New Mexico Republican Party called the settlement a quiet payoff.
Michelle Lujan Grisham is quietly paying off a former staffer who has accused her "of pouring a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes as she laughed". https://t.co/MOn75PXspb pic.twitter.com/CWidnEwG7N
— Republican Party of New Mexico (@NewMexicoGOP) April 13, 2021
Hallinan first made the allegation in December 2019, writing on Twitter: “A governor @GovMLG is not above the law for her sexual and physical abuse of employees including (me!!!) I’ll talk more when I return to the country. #liar #predator”
A governor @GovMLG is not above the law for her sexual and physical abuse of employees including (me!!!) I’ll talk more when I return to the country. @dominicgabello @vicrreyes @debarm @KOB4 @krqe @foxnewsalert @koat7news @newsguy44 #liar #predator pic.twitter.com/l9erfWsPb2
— James Hallinan (@JamesHallinan) December 25, 2019
Lujan Grisham recently ripped Democrat President Joe Biden for his energy agenda, saying that it “hurts New Mexico.”
Lujan Grisham has also been a source of controversy and scandal for New Mexico Democrats after she reportedly spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on groceries, liquor, and dry cleaning for her personal use.
The Daily Wire reported:
Grisham racked up a $13,500 tab during the last six months of 2020, according to financial disclosures reported on by the Sante Fe New Mexican. Her bill allegedly included $6,500 in luxurious groceries such as Wagyu beef and tuna steaks, as well as bottles of tequila, vodka, gin, wine, and beer.
Grisham or one of her surrogates allegedly spent $200 on alcohol during one visit to Sam’s Club and also used tax dollars to pay for her dry cleaning. People close to her were also reportedly receiving raises between $7,500 and $12,000 at the time.
She also reportedly received special treatment during the pandemic after she issued lockdown orders in the state. During the lockdown, a business opened up in order to sell her jewelry.
“Lujan Grisham did call an employee, saying they had a longstanding personal relationship,” a spokesperson for Lujan Grisham said. “The employee came here [Lilly Barrack], got the jewelry and took it home, left it outside their home and then someone came and picked it up.”