AG loses bid for Griego documents

Arguing that its “independence and integrity” must be preserved, the Legislature on Wednesday asked a judge to deny the attorney general’s bid for documents in the pending corruption case against former state Sen. Phil Griego. The Legislative Council Service objected in a response filed in state District Court that the attorney general is wrongly trying to make the Legislature “an arm of the prosecution” against Griego.

Attorney General Hector Balderas wants the judge to order the Legislative Council Service — the Legislature’s administrative agency — to turn over records related to Griego after it refused to do so last month.

Griego, a Democrat from San Miguel County, resigned from the Senate in March 2015 as he faced the possibility of discipline for his role in a 2014 Santa Fe real estate deal involving a state-owned building. The attorney general has charged him with 10 criminal counts, including bribery, fraud, perjury and tampering with public records. He has pleaded not guilty.

The attorney general wants to obtain correspondence pertaining to the drafting of the 2014 property sale legislation and documents from a Senate ethics subcommittee that was looking into a complaint against Griego when he resigned. But the Legislative Council Service, which drafts bills for lawmakers, argues that the communications between legislators and staff regarding legislation are “absolutely privileged” and that the LCS is required by law to keep them confidential.