Wage Audit of New Mexico Republican Party Finds No Discrepancies

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A New Mexico Department of Labor audit of the state Republican Party’s payroll records found no discrepancies in wages reported by the party.

The GOP also complied with reporting requirements under laws covering unemployment insurance, the department announced Monday.

State Republican Party executive director Marta Kramer has said she believed the audit stems from the administration of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.

Administration officials denied that, saying at first that a computer program randomly chose the Republican Party among more than 200 New Mexico operations selected for audits in the first quarter. The department later said the GOP was chosen by a tax examiner but that the selection was”not one bit political”

The Labor Department subsequently hired an outside firm, Hinkle and Landers PC, an Albuquerque certified public accounting firm, to look at the Republican payroll records, tax documents and contracts.

That was done to eliminate “any appearance of partisan politics,” Labor Secretary Conroy Chino said.

Kramer said Monday the Labor Department went out of its way to hire the independent auditor, and said the audit was done in a professional manner.

“I’m still skeptical that it was random, but I’m convinced they made every effort to make it fair and independent,” she said.

An audit determines whether a business is complying with unemployment insurance laws. The notice the Republicans received Feb. 17 said: “Your firm has been selected for a routine audit for the calendar year of 2005.”

Kramer had contended the documents to be examined would provide insight into “who is working in opposition to the Democratic Party and Governor Richardson’s political ambitions.”

The Republicans were last audited in the mid-1990s during the administration of former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson. The Democratic Party was last audited in 1991 during the administration of former Democratic Gov. Bruce King.