HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ARE INVESTIGATING, AND WE’RE WORKING TO GET MORE DETAILS. SHELLY: AND THE HOUSE COMMIEETT INVESTIGATING THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK ON THE CAPITOL HAS SUBPOENAED MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO FROM NEW MEXICO. THEY’RE ACCUSED OF FALSELY TRYING TO DECLARE DONALD TRUMP THE WINNER OF THE 2020 ELECTION. GOOD EVENING. ’I'M SHELLY RIBANDO. DO:UG AND I’M DOUG FERNANDEZ. ANCHOR KALYN NORWOOD HAS MORE ON WHAT THIS MEANS, LEGAL.LY KALYN: OUR POLITICAL EXPERT SAYS THIS IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL. THOUGH PRESIDENT BIDEN WON NEW MEXICO, ALTERNATE ELECTORS FOR TRUMP WERE SENT TO WASHINGN.TO AND NOW THE JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO’S HIBEND IT. >> THIS IS JUSA,T AN EXAMPLE OF THE POLARIZATION THAT’S BEEN OCCURRING IN, IN THE NATN,IO WHICH IS VERY SAD OCCURRENCE. KALYN: A HOUSE COMMITTEE LOOKING INTO THE CAPOLIT INSURRECTION AND WHAT CAUSED IT IS NOW LOOKING INTO TWO PEOPLE FROM NEW MEXI.CO JEWLL POWDRELL AND DEBORAH MAESTAS, WHO’S A FORMER CHAIR R FOTHE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF NEW MEXICO, ARE AMONG THE 14 ALTERNATE ELECTORS SUBPOENAEOND FRIDAY. >> SO WHAT HAPPENED HERE IN WNE MEXICO WAS AN ALTERNATE SLATE OF TRUMP ELECTORS WERE SE TONT WASHINGT,ON D.C. EVEN THOUGH JOE BIDEN WON THE ELECTION BY A BIG MARGIN. WHO IS BEHIND ORGANIZING THOSE ALTERNATE SLATES OF ELECTORS FOR THE OPPOSITE PARTY, THE PARTY THAT DIDN’T WIN THE ELECTION. THAT’S WHAT THIS IS PRETTY MUCH ALL ABT.OU KALYN:ER HE’S THE LETTER THEY SENT TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES CLAIMING THEY WERE DULY ELECTED TO VOTE AND THAT NEW MEXICO HAD FIVE VESOT FOR DONALD TRUMP AND FIVE FOR MIKE PENCE. ON THE NEXT PAGE YOU CANEE S POWDRELL AND MAESTAS WERE TWO OF FIVE OF THOSE VOTES. KOAT LEGAL EXPERT JOHN DAY SAYS THE COMMITTEE NOW WANTS THEMO T TURN OVER ANY INFORMATION THEY HAVE. >> ALL THE RECORDS, ALL THE EMAILS, TEXTS, ANYTHING THAT RELATES IN ANY WAY TO THESE FAKE ELECTION DOCUMENTS AND THEN THEY ALSO WANNA BRING THESE PEOPLE IN, SIT ’EM DOWN, GET ’EM UNDER OATH AND DEPOSE THEM, ASK THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THIS TOOK PLACE AND WHO WAS BEHIND IT AND WHAT WAS GOING ON. KAN:LY DAY SAYS THERE COULBED SERIOUS CONSEQUENC FESOR TRYING TO MISLEAD THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, CONGRESS, AND OTHERS. >> IT’S NOT JUST A MATTER OF PLAYING POLITICS. IT’S A MATTER OF ACTUALLY CREATING FALSE DOCUMENTS, POSSIBLY ENGAGING IN FRA,UD POSSIBLY ENGAGING IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY THAT COULD LEAD TO CHARGES DOWN THE RD. KALYN: EARLIER THIS MONTH, POWDRELL TOLD THE LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS HE HAD QUOTE NO REGRETS WHATSOEVER ABOUT SIGNING THE CERTIFICATE THAT DAY. THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTS AND APPEAR FOR DEPOSITIONS IN FEBRUY. KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS. DO:UG THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF NEW MEXICO TOLD US, WE DON’T COMMENT ON PENDING INVESTIGATIONS. BUT THE DECRMOATIC PARTY SAID THEY ARE IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE’S INVESTIGATION INTO THE REPUBLICAN ATMPT TOTE CERTIFY FALSE ELECTORS AND ILLEGALLY HAND THE 2020 ELECTION TO DONALD TRUM
January 6 committee subpoenas 2 Republicans from New Mexico
The alternate electors are accused of falsely trying to declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election.
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Updated: 10:55 PM MST Jan 28, 2022
The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S Capitol has subpoenaed more than a dozen people, including two from New Mexico.They're accused of falsely trying to declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election.Even though President Joe Biden won New Mexico, alternate electors sent fake slates of Electoral College votes for Trump to Washington. Now the January 6 committee is trying to figure out who's behind it. KOAT Political Expert, Brian Sanderoff, said this is all highly unusual. “This is just an example of the polarization that's been occurring in the nation, which is a very sad occurrence,” Sanderoff said.RELATED: 'They were crushing police:' New Mexico photographer speaks of experience documenting Capitol insurrectionJewll Powdrell and Deborah W. Maestas, who's a former chair for the Republican Party of New Mexico, are among the 14 alternate electors subpoenaed on Friday.“So what happened here in New Mexico was an alternate slate of trump electors were sent to Washington, D.C., even though Joe Biden won the election by a big margin,” Sanderoff said. “Who is behind organizing those alternate slates of electors for the opposite party, the party that didn't win the election. That's what this is pretty much all about.”In the letter they sent to the National Archives, they were duly elected to vote and that New Mexico had five votes for Donald Trump and five for Mike Pence. On the next Powdrell and Maestas signed their names as two of five of those votes. KOAT legal expert John Day said the committee now wants them to turn over any information they have.RELATED: 'I trusted the president': Hear from the Jan. 6 rioters in their own words“All the records, all the emails, texts, anything that relates in any way to these fake election documents, and then they also want to bring these people in, sit 'em down, get 'em under oath and depose them, ask them questions about how this took place and who was behind it and what was going on,” Day said.Day said there could be serious consequences for trying to mislead the National Archives, Congress, and others.“It's not just a matter of playing politics,” Day said. “It's a matter of actually creating false documents, possibly engaging in fraud, possibly engaging in criminal activity that could lead to charges down the road.”Earlier this month, Powdrell told the Las Cruces Sun-News he had "no regrets whatsoever" about signing the certificate that day. The individuals have to provide documents and appear for depositions in February.The Republican Party of New Mexico told us, "we don't comment on pending investigations."The Democratic Party said they are “in full support of the select committee's investigation into the Republican attempt to certify false electors, and illegally hand the 2020 election to Donald Trump."They also want those involved to step down from their current positions.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S Capitol has subpoenaed more than a dozen people, including two from New Mexico.
They're accused of falsely trying to declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election.
Even though President Joe Biden won New Mexico, alternate electors sent fake slates of Electoral College votes for Trump to Washington. Now the January 6 committee is trying to figure out who's behind it. KOAT Political Expert, Brian Sanderoff, said this is all highly unusual.
“This is just an example of the polarization that's been occurring in the nation, which is a very sad occurrence,” Sanderoff said.
RELATED: 'They were crushing police:' New Mexico photographer speaks of experience documenting Capitol insurrection
Jewll Powdrell and Deborah W. Maestas, who's a former chair for the Republican Party of New Mexico, are among the 14 alternate electors subpoenaed on Friday.
“So what happened here in New Mexico was an alternate slate of trump electors were sent to Washington, D.C., even though Joe Biden won the election by a big margin,” Sanderoff said. “Who is behind organizing those alternate slates of electors for the opposite party, the party that didn't win the election. That's what this is pretty much all about.”
In the letter they sent to the National Archives, they were duly elected to vote and that New Mexico had five votes for Donald Trump and five for Mike Pence. On the next Powdrell and Maestas signed their names as two of five of those votes. KOAT legal expert John Day said the committee now wants them to turn over any information they have.
RELATED: 'I trusted the president': Hear from the Jan. 6 rioters in their own words
“All the records, all the emails, texts, anything that relates in any way to these fake election documents, and then they also want to bring these people in, sit 'em down, get 'em under oath and depose them, ask them questions about how this took place and who was behind it and what was going on,” Day said.
Day said there could be serious consequences for trying to mislead the National Archives, Congress, and others.
“It's not just a matter of playing politics,” Day said. “It's a matter of actually creating false documents, possibly engaging in fraud, possibly engaging in criminal activity that could lead to charges down the road.”
Earlier this month, Powdrell told the Las Cruces Sun-News he had "no regrets whatsoever" about signing the certificate that day. The individuals have to provide documents and appear for depositions in February.
The Republican Party of New Mexico told us, "we don't comment on pending investigations."
The Democratic Party said they are “in full support of the select committee's investigation into the Republican attempt to certify false electors, and illegally hand the 2020 election to Donald Trump."
They also want those involved to step down from their current positions.
