After scandal, attorney seeks justice
After David Iglesias was fired from his position as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico in 2007, he set about telling the complex story of what he says was his politically motivated dismissal.
Iglesias will bring the story of this ongoing controversy to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College on Wednesday with a discussion of his book, "Inside Justice: The Scandal that Rocked the Bush Administration."
To prove that his dismissal, and those of six other U.S. Attorneys, was politically motivated, Iglesias has had to boil down the nuanced events that lead up to it to understandable terms.
"At the time, people were convinced that there was massive voter fraud going on in New Mexico," Iglesias said.
To respond, he established a bipartisan task force and tips hotline, but found no prosecutable cases.
At the same time, two New Mexico legislators called asking Iglesias to reveal the contents of a sealed indictment. Shortly after he declined, he was dismissed.
Iglesias said that the preoccupation with voter fraud was partly a result of the razor edge win by Al Gore in the state's 2000 presidential election.
"When an election is that close, every electoral vote counts," he said. "The sheriff at that time was convinced that voter fraud was rampant."
Iglesias also believes that intolerant attitudes toward undocumented immigrants prompted the increased voter scrutiny.
"I remember hearing the rumors in 2000 and 2004 that lots of immigrants were voting in New Mexico and voting for democrats," Iglesias said. "If you're an illegal immigrant, there's a thousand different ways to get caught. There are some risks worth taking, like going to hospital. But showing up and voting? What are you getting out of it? Most sane people would not take that risk."
During his lecture Iglesias will update the audience on the current investigation into the dismissals and answer questions on the case.
The talk, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Science, Engineering and Technology Building, is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Office of Student Life at (956)-882-5199.
ltillman@brownsvilleherald.com
