Corruption

New Richardson Scandal

Second accusation of pay-to-play.

Bill Richardson may not have turned out to be an awful commerce secretary: He sure seems to know a lot about raising money. The New Mexico Governor has been slapped with a second pay-to-play allegation, as New Mexico’s former state investment officer has accused Richardson appointees of directing $90 million to a financial firm in exchange for donations to the governor's presidential campaign. The accuser, Frank Foy, was dismissed from his job for sexual harassment, but says the event has nothing to do with his allegations against Richardson. Richardson withdrew his nomination to be Barack Obama’s commerce secretary after a separate accusation of giving state contracts to a lucrative donor.