The National Archives reported Saturday, April 17, that Michelle Lujan Grisham, a female Democrat who was elected governor of New Mexico back in 2018, has so far paid out at least $62,500 to a male staffer who accused her of allegedly assaulting him by allegedly assaulting him by grabbing him by the crotch and taunting him.
Campaign finance documents filed Monday, April 12, show that Gov. Gleason’s campaign paid $12,500 in “legal fees” to a law firm in five monthly installments from November through March of last year, and it is unclear whether more payments will be made. James Hallinan, the male staffer who was assaulted and represented by the firm, previously worked for the governor during her campaign.
About a year after leaving Gleason’s campaign, Hallinan claimed on Twitter that Gleason had assaulted him. He alleged that the then-congresswoman poured a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbed his genitals in front of other staffers, who stood by at the time and laughed at Hallinan after the incident.
Hallinan tweeted, “A state governor …… Sexual and physical abuse of employees, including me, is not above the law!!!” Hallinan added that Gleason’s then-campaign manager Dominic Gabello, now a senior adviser in the New Mexico governor’s office, tried to persuade Hallinan not to report the incident at the time it occurred.
New Mexico’s largest newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, had published a written statement from Gleason’s campaign spokesman, Jared Leopold, which said the payments were part of a settlement. The statement went on to say that all of the defendants “vigorously denied the truth of Mr. Hallinan’s claims, including Hallinan’s claim that the campaign had difficulty finding or keeping a job after. A settlement was reached between them to avoid a distracting and costly lawsuit. “
Rachel Berlin Benjamin, the attorney at Buckley Beal who received payment and represented Hallinan, said she and the governor had “satisfactorily resolved any differences or issues,” and that the attorney could not provide any further details.
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