Bill Richardson withdraws Cabinet nomination

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson withdrew his candidacy for the Secretary of Commerce under incoming U.S. president Barack Obama.

In a statement issued today, Richardson said to have dropped out due to a federal investigation against him. "I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process," said Richardson who also insisted of his innocence in the inquiry.

In a joint statement issued with Richardson, president-elect Obama expressed “deep regret” at dropping out yet added that “I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration.” (Does that imply the possibility that Richardson could serve in an Obama Cabinet should he be cleared of impropriety?)

As we noted last month, the grand jury probe against Richardson has to do with a possible “play-for-pay” deal during Richardson’s gubernatorial bid in 2004. As the Wall Street Journal’s online site detailed:

The grand jury is investigating how the company won more than $1.5 million in work advising the state of New Mexico after making contributions to Mr. Richardson's political action committees. The "pay-to-play" investigation is trying to determine whether the governor's office had any role in the contracting decisions.

The focus is on fees paid to the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based CDR by the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 soon after donating $100,000 to Mr. Richardson's voter registration effort. CDR has denied any wrongdoing.

Richardson’s alleged wrongdoing is small potatoes compared to the brouhaha surrounding Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, yet the timing of Richardson’s probe couldn’t be worse.

Richardson hasn’t been the only prominent Latino politico to withdraw from a Cabinet nomination. In 2000, Linda Chavez withdrew her nomination from Secretary of Labor after being chosen by then-president-elect George W. Bush . The right-wing commentator dropped out when it emerged that she housed an illegal immigrant from Guatemala and helped her find work.

Image- The Fix (“President-elect Barack Obama announced New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary during a press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, Dec. 03, 2008.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, WSJ.com, New York Times, CNN, Voice of America, AFP, politico.com, Reuters