At 9 am this morning--exactly an hour before state Attorney General Gary King was scheduled to give his side of the story in a news conference--State Auditor Hector Balderas' office announced that the double-secret lawsuit between Balderas and King "has been resolved."
The two state officials have been locked in a media battle for months. Balderas is currently running for US Sen. Jeff Bingaman's seat; King has lately taken flack for failing to prosecute Richardson-era pay-to-play cases with sufficient gusto.
"We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the attorney general," Evan Blackstone, Balderas' chief of staff, tells SFR.
Blackstone acknowledges the public interest in the case but, because it's still closed, can't comment on its specifics.
In his press release, Balderas expresses a hope to make the details of the case public. The court would have to lift the seal for that to happen, though.
Blackstone says the timing of the release has to do with the resolution of the case. He also says the relationship between Balderas and King has always been good, despite the lawsuit.
Here's the text from Balderas' presser:
(Santa Fe, NM)--Today, State Auditor Hector Balderas issued a statement regarding the legal matter between the Office of the State Auditor and the Attorney’s General’s Office. The case, which has been before the First Judicial District Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals, has worked its way through the judicial system.
“I am pleased to report that the legal matter between the Office of the State Auditor and the Attorney General’s Office has been resolved. Now that this matter is resolved, I hope that the case will be made public in the interest of transparency. I also look forward to strengthening my relationship with the Attorney General in order to ensure greater government accountability in New Mexico.”
