CDR SAGA CONTINUES

I did a story about the Justice Department subpoenas of records from University of New Mexico bond sales, which involved CDR Financial Products. These bond transactions, the first ones at least, took place before Bill Richardson was governor. See the story HERE.

The story also mentions that Albuquerque lawyer Paul Kennedy, a former state Supreme Court justice, is counseling former NM Finance Authority director David Harris in the grand jury proceedings. Kennedy, of course, said he couldn't comment on the case itself.

Though the national media furor is dying down somewhat, Bloomberg still is on the story. They report today that Richardson's former chief of staff Dave Contarino's name has come up in the questioning of at least one witness. It's been rumored that Contarino is one of the bigger fish the grand jury is looking at. I tried unsuccessfully to get ahold of the lawyer said to be representing Contarino yesterday but got no reply.

Contarino himself did email a comment to Bloomberg.

“As chief of staff and co-chairman of the Governor’s Finance
Council, it was my job to be involved in GRIP and many of the administration’s economic and financial initiatives,” Contarino said in an e-mail statement. “In all of my actions, I acted appropriately and I am confident that the investigation will bear out that fact.”

It's getting more interesting.