SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is being criticized for a jewelry purchase from a store in Albuquerque that had closed its retail locations after she issued a public health order prompting the closure of all non-essential businesses.
The governor's office says the transaction was done remotely and didn't violate the order. But Republicans are calling Lujan Grisham's behavior hypocritical and dishonorable. They say the jewelry purchase exemplifies recent weeks of harsh and inequitable treatment of small businesses at a time when the governor was telling people to stay home and only go out for essential items such as food.