New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defended her decision to purchase jewelry from a store that was supposed to be closed under her coronavirus mandate.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, called in an order to a jewelry store to make a purchase at a time when curbside delivery was not allowed under her stay-at-home order, according to a report from KRQE News 13. She called Lilly Barrack and bought the jewelry outside the store in a coordinated pick up with one of Lujan Grisham’s employees.
This exchange took place in early April, just days after the governor mandated that all nonessential businesses close. Curbside delivery was not allowed until May 1. When asked about the purchases, a spokesman for Lujan Grisham confirmed that the exchanges were made but disputed details of the report, arguing that the store delivered the product and denying that a staff member went to the store to pick up the package.
“Lujan Grisham did call an employee, saying they had a longstanding personal relationship. The employee came here [Lilly Barrack], got the jewelry and took it home, left it outside their home and then someone came and picked it up,” the spokesman said.
Her office originally said a staff member received the final package, but then walked back the claim and said a friend of the governor received the final package. That friend was not named.
“None of the state’s public health orders have restricted the conduct of business operations in which an employee only interacts with clients or customers remotely,” Lujan Grisham’s spokesman added.
Her office clarified that they did not consider the exchange to be a home delivery and that they did not believe the store violated any policies by having an employee inside to facilitate the purchase because employees were allowed to go to their places of work to clean or do inventory.
“Turning the key inside a door to ‘open’ a store wouldn’t violate the order,” Lujan Grisham’s spokesman said.
The spokesman also brushed off questions about whether the two people who facilitated the delivery to the governor violated the stay-at-home order to complete this nonessential task, saying, “Of course the governor has been telling people to stay home to the greatest extent possible, it also true she’s been urging New Mexicans to find ways to support local businesses.”
While Lujan Grisham’s executive order did not directly state whether nonessential businesses could do a delivery-type exchange during the shutdown, other jewelry store owners interpreted the law to mean products could only be shipped to customers. A manager at Gertrude Zachary said no employees were allowed in the store out of fear of fines from the state.
During her April 3 announcement issuing the stay-at-home order, Lujan Grisham lauded the sacrifice of small businesses, saying, “We are in really tough financial times as a state. It mirrors the incredible, personal sacrifices that happen every single day because people have limited their ability to work, telecommuting and many people, in fact, have lost their jobs.”
Lujan Grisham is one of several candidates being floated as a potential running mate for Joe Biden. She has been the governor of New Mexico since 2019, following five years in Congress.
