(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
New Mexico Republican who allegedly orchestrated shootings indicted on 14 counts by grand jury [1]
['Daily Kos Staff', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']
Date: 2023-01-31
The Republican is accused of orchestrating the shootings after losing his New Mexico state house race by nearly 50 points, targeting the homes or businesses of officials including incoming state House Speaker Javier Martinez, Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, and state Sen. Linda Lopez. Peña’s full arrest warrant shows him texting an accomplice the “complete and exact address of Linda Lopez’ residence,” officials said. Her home had also been searched on Apple Maps.
Lopez’s 10-year-old daughter, Cherish, was sleeping in her bedroom when the family home was hit with a hail of gunfire on Jan. 3. Lopez tells Slate she thought she heard fireworks when Cherish walked into her room. She said that she thought a spider had maybe woken her up. Lopez said she didn’t realize their home had been shot at until the next morning when she saw the damage. The spider that Cherish thought she’d felt on her face? It was sheetrock dust “resulting from firearm projectile(s) passing inside her bedroom overhead,” the arrest warrant said. “I looked toward my bed, and on the wall, you could see what had happened. There was a hole in my wall above my bed,” Lopez recounted to Slate. “My daughter’s room is right next to mine. And the trajectory that the bullet had, it could have grazed her head if she had been sitting up.”
“I’ve had threats over the years, maybe via email or maybe somebody will leave a message on my home phone number,” she continued to Slate. “But it’s never risen to this point.”
As my colleague Kerry Eleveld noted in 2021, Republicans aren’t just pushing the Big Lie, they’re a domestic terror threat to our democracy. Peña, who previously served nearly seven years in prison for burglary and still won the endorsement of leading state Republicans, lost his race by a resounding 26% to 74% yet refused to accept the result. One Nov. 15 tweet from his official account shows him celebrating the insurrectionist former president’s 2024 presidential announcement. “I never conceded my [House District] 14 race,” Peña proclaimed in a tweet. He’s wearing and is surrounded by MAGA gear. “Now researching my options.”
x Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. pic.twitter.com/sKVHhxG9Vq — Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) November 16, 2022
“Peña’s arrest warrant affidavit identifies two of the alleged co-conspirators as Demetrio Trujillo and José Trujillo,” CNN reported. “According to a relative, Demetrio is José’s father.” While charges against his alleged accomplices are unclear, the younger Trujillo was found with nearly 900 fentanyl pills in his vehicle. Trujillo donated more than $5,000 to Peña’s campaign, while another $4,000 was donated by Trujillo’s mother. The mother, however, had denied any knowledge of the donation, saying she’s on a fixed income and is not at all political.
In a statement reported by Albuquerque Journal, a Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson said investigators are seeking to “determine whether the money for the campaign contributions was generated from narcotics trafficking, and whether campaign laws were violated.” If confirmed, it would be one of the most egregious examples of GOP projection in recent memory, because they just campaign on turning fentanyl into an immigration issue (which it’s not).
Lopez tells Slate she’s worried about rising Republican extremism, citing threats against New Mexico’s secretary of state, and the kidnapping and murder plot against Michigan’s governor. “It’s a bigger issue across this country.”
“This happened here in New Mexico, yes, but it’s happened in other places across the country,” she continued. “And as I said before, I’m sworn to uphold the constitution of the state. I’m also sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. And apparently the national Republican Party—they’ve got problems. And if the national folks can’t take care of it, then what are we going to do at the local level?” As I previously noted, Peña is not a GOP aberration. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as a candidate endorsed assassinating Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was subsequently nearly killed by an intruder. But Speaker-for-Now Kevin McCarthy not only openly courted Greene’s vote, he put her back on committee. Solomon Peña is the Republican Party.
RELATED STORIES:
Republican candidate who cried voter fraud arrested in shootings at Democratic politicians' homes
Republicans aren't just telling a Big Lie—they're a domestic terror threat to our democracy
Most arrested for drug smuggling are U.S. citizens. Don't count on GOP to stop attacking migrants
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/31/2150294/-New-Mexico-Republican-who-allegedly-orchestrated-shootings-indicted-on-14-counts-by-grand-jury
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
