SOS Tidbit: Herrera's IPRA Request

A couple of hours after her "press conference" in which she walked away without taking any questions from the press, Herrera and her staff went to the Capitol Rotunda for a group photo shoot.

Encountering reporters afterward -- namely myself and Rob Nikolewski of Capitol Report New Mexico -- Herrera declined to elaborate on her statements about her staff being put on leave and the allegations of wrongdoing in her office.

I asked Herrera why she recently made a public information request for e-mails between Deputy Los Alamos County Clerk Sheryl Nichols — who has made critical statements about Herrera in news articles — and several people, including Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza and several members of Herrera's staff.

"I did that as a citizen," Herrera said, adding that just because she's an elected official doesn't mean she has to give up her rights as a citizen. "I made that (request) for me."

She said she used her own money in making the request. She declined to say why she wanted the e-mails or what information she found in them.

Rob took video of the brief exchange. Here's the part about the Inspection of Public Records request: