Bill Richardson’s advisors under investigation

This hasn’t been a good week for Bill Richardson.

On Sunday the New Mexico governor withdrew his nomination for Secretary of State under incoming president Barack Obama. Richardson cited an ongoing federal investigation over a possible “pay-for-play” scheme with California firm CDR Financial Products.

Now it's been reported that a former Richardson top advisor is also being investigated for his ties to CDR:

A witness who testified before a federal grand jury in Albuquerque last month said he was asked if David Contarino, the former chief of staff, ordered New Mexico Finance Authority officials to hire Beverly Hills, California-based CDR Financial Products Inc. Another person familiar with the investigation said Contarino, 47, is a subject of the inquiry and that prosecutors are looking at whether he solicited contributions from firms that worked on finance authority bond deals.

On top of that, the AP cited “longtime friend and political adviser” Mike Stratton who worked as a consultant to CDR and earned nearly $1.5 million in fees for helping the firm secure contracts in New Mexico.

Whether the investigation clears Richardson remains to be seen though eyebrows are certainly being raised over the actions of some of his confidants.

Image- AFP
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, Bloomberg