Copyright © 2021
Albuquerque’s recent mayoral debate turned ugly on Tuesday when Manuel Gonzales asked incumbent Tim Keller how he could be trusted to fight crime.
Keller responded by vigorously denying the allegations and accusing Gonzales of a slanderous and “pathetic” political stunt.
“There is literally nothing behind everything you say – you just say words you’ve seen on social media,” said Keller.
The Journal found no evidence and was unable to substantiate allegations that the mayor was having an affair or involved in a domestic violence incident.
The exchange took place during a KOB-TV debate that focused on crime, homelessness, the economy, and the future of the city’s Juan de Oñate sculpture. Moderators gave the candidates Keller, Gonzales and radio host Eddy Aragon the opportunity to ask one of their opponents a question. Gonzales, the Bernalillo County sheriff, decided to ask Keller about the accountability and started a list of allegations he called “serious misconduct.”
“Allegations of your own domestic violence incident have been covered up by senior city officials. Another allegation made by a senior city official who was drunk behind the wheel of a city vehicle and involved in an accident. Third, you also have allegations of having an affair with a subordinate of the city, ”said Gonzales. “How can the public trust you to fight crime in Albuquerque if you can’t even fight crime in City Hall?”
Keller called it a “disgusting” question and said he was never involved in anything Gonzales mentioned.
“If you just make your questions into gossip on Twitter and Facebook, I mean, I hear all kinds of things all the time and I … wouldn’t … appreciate it because I don’t believe it, because there is no evidence or truth behind it” said Keller. “This comes from a guy who just has a litany of myths and suspicions that he says.”
Rumors have been circulating on social media for months about the police covering up a response to domestic violence in Keller’s house and about an alleged affair Keller is having with a city worker.
Keller previously denied the allegations in an interview with journalists from the journal. A request for the Journal’s public records earlier this year requested police incident reports and shipping records for Keller’s home address since January 1, resulted in few calls around January 6 – the date of the U.S. Capitol insurrection – containing threats against the house were reported. Records show that the officers stayed vigil throughout their shift and determined that the house was safe. There were no other records.
No evidence was provided by anyone who made the allegations with the Journal. When the rumors surfaced, the police union president who criticized the Keller administration told the Journal that he had no documents to back them up.
Following Tuesday’s debate, Gonzales’s campaign manager Shannan Calland said in a statement that the allegations were serious enough to be included in the debate.
“We have spoken to two senior Albuquerque Police officers who are directly aware of the domestic incident due to the sexual harassment scandal and are awaiting IPRA responses based on this information (which we expect to see until after the Choice intentionally covered up). , “She wrote. The statement contained the sentence in parentheses. IPRA refers to the state’s Public Records Act.
But Keller campaign manager Neri Holguin said Gonzales is acting desperately.
“Manny doubled his record of outrageous lies tonight with a disgusting false attack on the mayor’s family and the integrity of the police officers,” she said. “We’re appalled by these tactics, but it’s not surprising that Manny is so desperate and out of records. He’s just got internet conspiracy theories.”
Comments are closed.