“Previous commitments” kept Gov. Bill Richardson from attending an event with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder held today in Albuquerque, Richardson’s office said.
The governor’s office sent out a news release on Wednesday notifying the media that Richardson would be in Truth or Consequences today to “speak at the change of command ceremony for the US Customs and Border Protection in T or C” and “receive a briefing from the US Customs and Border Protection on the border status.”
He also announced “the name of the State Parks employee receiving the Western States Officer of the Year Award by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators” at a ceremony in T or C, according to the release.
After those events, Richardson spent this afternoon, according to the news release, filming “a number of public service announcements for New Mexico State Parks and the Department of Tourism near Elephant Butte.”
Napolitano and Holder were in Albuquerque to announce the Obama administration’s new counternarcotics strategy.
It’s worth noting that at least one press report has suggested that the federal investigation into allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration has now been handed off to officials at the Justice Department in Washington. Holder, who heads that agency, would not answer questions today about the investigation.
The visit by Holder and Napolitano was first announced publicly on Tuesday.