10/24/2020
An update on the ongoing ethics and misconduct complaint against Rebecca Dow: The Ethics Commission has sent a notice that clarifies which part of the complaint they have jurisdiction over and which part the Attorney General's office will be responsible for investigating as the case moves forward. Read more below.
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Violations of State Law by Rebecca Dow are Under Active Review
Ethics Commission clarifies jurisdiction in the complaint against Rebecca Dow filed with their office and the Attorney General
October 23, 2020
Mimbres, NM - On Wednesday, the state Ethics Commission sent notice that portions of the ethics complaint filed against Representative Rebecca Dow have been referred to their general counsel and it clarified which elements of the complaint they have jurisdiction over.
The notice explained that the Ethics Commission is investigating Dow’s most recent violations of state financial disclosure laws detailed in the complaint but that it does not have the jurisdiction to review the parts of the complaint regarding violations of the Governmental Conduct Act and Procurement Code, or earlier violations of the Financial Disclosure Act, simply because the timing of the violations--prior to July 1, 2019--fall outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction. However, the same complaint was filed with the Attorney General’s office, which has jurisdiction over misconduct occurring prior to July 1, 2019. The Ethics Commission’s notice clarifies jurisdiction in the active and ongoing complaint against Representative Dow.
The Commission’s notice also dismissed outright Rebecca Dow’s attempt to initiate a frivolous counter-complaint against Karen Whitlock.
“The investigation regarding Rebecca Dow’s violations of state law is still very much ongoing,” said Karen Whitlock. "In its notice, the Ethics Commission properly clarified the matters over which it had jurisdiction, and its investigation is proceeding accordingly. The Attorney General will therefore be responsible for investigating the other misconduct addressed in my complaint, which is why I filed the matter with both the Commission and Attorney General simultaneously."
The complaint before the state Ethics Commission and the Attorney General maintains that Rebecca Dow violated sections of the Governmental Conduct Act intended to prevent self-dealing in government by falsely stating that she was not a legislator in order to solicit millions of dollars in government contracts for her business, contracts that she was otherwise ineligible for. It further details Rebecca Dow’s failure to disclose income from that business and other conflicts of interest to the Secretary of State in violation of the Financial Disclosure Act. These represent serious violations of state law and a breach of public trust.
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