In the aftermath of an apparent arson attack over the weekend at New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque, the two major political parties are tossing accusations at each other.
The NM GOP issued a statement condemning the attack and pointed to a quote “prominent Democrat official calling for her supporters to be ‘agitators’."
The statement goes on to say that “unhinged supporters took the message to heart.”
In a statement in response, Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Jessica Velasquez say the GOP is making “false claims” about a Saturday town hall in Santa Fe hosted by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
Dems say the Leger Fernandez meeting was a “peaceful” one and that it always condemns any political violence.
The fire that damaged the entryway to the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque is being investigated as arson.
It also caused extensive smoke damage. Republican Party leaders called for more to be done about crime in the state during a Monday news conference.
Incendiary materials were found on the scene, and spray paint was found on the side of the building that read “ICE=KKK.”
Republican lawmakers recently urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to exercise her authority to bring the legislators back to the Capitol for a special session to create solutions to combating violence.
The building, which authorities said was unoccupied at the time of the fire, leaves the GOP offices uninhabitable for now.
The weekend fire followed vandalism across the U.S. in recent weeks targeting dealerships for Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Republican President Donald Trump’s efforts to slash the federal workforce.
Trump has also sought to ramp up deportation efforts against people living in the country illegally, led by agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Partially adapted from an Associated Press report.
