1 00:00:01,933 --> 00:00:04,133 GEOFF BENNETT: Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have linked a series of drive-by 2 00:00:04,133 --> 00:00:09,133 shootings targeting the homes of local Democratic politicians to a defeated Republican candidate. 3 00:00:11,033 --> 00:00:13,966 The case spotlights the troubling rise in extremist violence against 4 00:00:13,966 --> 00:00:16,066 elected officials across the country. 5 00:00:16,066 --> 00:00:20,733 MAN: He's an election denier who doesn't want to accept the results of the election. 6 00:00:20,733 --> 00:00:24,600 GEOFF BENNETT: Former Republican candidate Solomon Pena is behind 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:29,100 bars tonight in New Mexico, allegedly for a string of politically motivated 8 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:33,500 shootings that took place after he lost his race for a state House seat in November. 9 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:35,166 HAROLD MEDINA, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Chief: It is believed that he 10 00:00:35,166 --> 00:00:39,766 is the mastermind that was behind this and that was organizing this. 11 00:00:39,766 --> 00:00:44,000 GEOFF BENNETT: The charge, that Pena paid four men to shoot and damage the 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,966 homes of two state legislators and two county commissioners, all Democrats. 13 00:00:50,833 --> 00:00:53,466 The shootings happened after Pena allegedly approached local lawmakers, 14 00:00:53,466 --> 00:00:55,766 including some whose homes were targeted, 15 00:00:55,766 --> 00:01:00,733 falsely claiming his election was fraudulent. No one was injured in any of the incidents, 16 00:01:03,133 --> 00:01:05,733 but state Senator Linda Lopez said one bullet passed through her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom. 17 00:01:05,733 --> 00:01:10,733 In a press conference late yesterday, authorities outlined key evidence that led them to Pena. 18 00:01:12,666 --> 00:01:14,633 KYLE HARTSOCK, Deputy Commander, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department: The evidence 19 00:01:14,633 --> 00:01:16,600 that we have is not only firearm, but it's also from cell phones and electronic records, 20 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,600 surveillance video, and multiple witnesses inside and outside of 21 00:01:23,066 --> 00:01:25,766 this conspiracy that have helped us weave together what occurred. 22 00:01:25,766 --> 00:01:30,533 GEOFF BENNETT: The 39-year-old lost his bid for the state House in a landslide. But he 23 00:01:30,533 --> 00:01:34,800 wrote on Twitter that he never conceded. A fervent supporter of Donald Trump, 24 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,800 Pena accused his opponent of rigging the race before polls had even closed and, 25 00:01:41,233 --> 00:01:43,766 after the election, called himself the MAGA king. 26 00:01:43,766 --> 00:01:46,966 TIM KELLER (D), Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico: These shootings were indeed politically motivated. 27 00:01:46,966 --> 00:01:49,933 GEOFF BENNETT: Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, 28 00:01:49,933 --> 00:01:53,233 condemned extremist violence while speaking with reporters. 29 00:01:53,233 --> 00:01:55,866 TIM KELLER: This was about a right-wing radical, 30 00:01:55,866 --> 00:02:00,866 an election denier who was arrested today, and someone who did the worst imaginable 31 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,633 thing you can do when you have a political disagreement, which is turn that to violence. 32 00:02:05,633 --> 00:02:10,233 GEOFF BENNETT: Following all of this closely is Gene Grant of New Mexico PBS. 33 00:02:10,233 --> 00:02:12,300 Gene, thanks for being here. 34 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:16,733 And Solomon Pena, as I understand it, had a criminal history. And there were lawmakers in 35 00:02:18,733 --> 00:02:22,066 New Mexico who tried to keep him from running because of that. Tell me more about that. 36 00:02:22,066 --> 00:02:25,200 GENE GRANT, New Mexico Public Television: Specifically, his opponent, Miguel Garcia, 37 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,633 who held the seat at the time -- he was the incumbent -- he actually 38 00:02:27,633 --> 00:02:32,633 filed in court to keep Mr. Pena off the ballot because he had a felony record. 39 00:02:34,666 --> 00:02:39,000 And that felony record came, guys, from an amazing background. And when you think about it, 40 00:02:40,866 --> 00:02:44,333 he was part of a smash-and-grab ring, I mean, people who would take stolen vehicles, 41 00:02:44,333 --> 00:02:49,100 drive them through the front doors of big box retail electronic stores and steal things. 42 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:54,066 He did almost seven years in prison with this. I mean, that's a fairly serious criminal background. 43 00:02:56,666 --> 00:02:59,533 The bid to keep him off the ballot, though, was unsuccessful. I will go back to that for a second. 44 00:03:02,166 --> 00:03:05,633 The judge stated in part that, if he's eligible to vote, he's eligible to run. He had done his five 45 00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:12,133 years of probation as well. So he was not kept off the ballot, but he lost by more than 2,000 votes. 46 00:03:14,100 --> 00:03:16,533 GEOFF BENNETT: Gene, what have the four Democrats targeted in 47 00:03:16,533 --> 00:03:19,900 this alleged conspiracy, what have they had to say about all this? 48 00:03:19,900 --> 00:03:23,033 GENE GRANT: You know, not a lot so far. 49 00:03:23,033 --> 00:03:28,033 County Commissioner O'Malley probably had the most compelling story of all. You mentioned in 50 00:03:30,033 --> 00:03:33,100 the setup how Mr. Pena had come -- had gone to the front doors of three of the victims 51 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:38,100 out of the four here. And Ms. O'Malley had a very difficult conversation with him at her front door 52 00:03:40,133 --> 00:03:43,833 after he alleged that the election was stolen, he was not going to concede, 53 00:03:43,833 --> 00:03:47,633 and she was not afraid at the moment, but she was concerned enough that she 54 00:03:47,633 --> 00:03:51,466 did in fact tell law enforcement that he had showed up at her door. 55 00:03:51,466 --> 00:03:56,466 Now, when you think about that, obviously, she had 12 bullets hit her home. There's a lot of 56 00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:01,733 bullets that were done here. In fact, Mr. Pena was on one of the four times -- four visits to 57 00:04:03,766 --> 00:04:08,766 shoot somebody, actually. He actually tried to use an AR. It jammed. He used a Glock instead. 58 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:14,900 And they have got him cold at this point through records and now some phone issues 59 00:04:16,966 --> 00:04:20,033 from the folks that he had hired to do this as well. So, Democrats -- Democrats 60 00:04:20,033 --> 00:04:24,333 are rightly concerned. I should add, we had our opening of our state legislature today, 61 00:04:24,333 --> 00:04:29,333 and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, in fact, referenced the situation in her remarks at the 62 00:04:31,733 --> 00:04:34,933 state of the state today, standing right in front of Javier Martinez, the newly elected 63 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,000 speaker of the House, who was one of the four folks who had his home shot up by this man. 64 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,000 So it reaches Democrats quite deeply. But there -- a lot of relief, I think, would be 65 00:04:47,133 --> 00:04:49,000 the biggest way to look at this right now. Folks were very concerned for a couple of weeks there. 66 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,166 GEOFF BENNETT: Gene Grant of New Mexico PBS. 67 00:04:51,166 --> 00:04:54,033 Gene, thank you for sharing your reporting with us tonight. We appreciate it. 68 00:04:54,033 --> 00:04:56,500 GENE GRANT: My pleasure. 69 00:04:56,500 --> 00:05:00,500 GEOFF BENNETT: And we're going to talk more now about the rise of politically motivated violence. 70 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:05,466 For that, we're joined by Democratic Secretary of State in New Mexico. Maggie Toulouse Oliver. 71 00:05:06,333 --> 00:05:08,200 Thanks for being with us. 72 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,833 And I want to ask you to expand on something you 73 00:05:10,833 --> 00:05:14,800 posted on Twitter earlier about this case. You said: "This is precisely how 74 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:19,433 dangerous rhetoric and conspiracy theories promote violence toward elected officials." 75 00:05:19,433 --> 00:05:22,966 Tell me more about that, how you view the threat of violent 76 00:05:22,966 --> 00:05:27,966 political speech crossing over into the realm of violent political acts. 77 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,366 MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER, New Mexico Secretary of State: 78 00:05:31,366 --> 00:05:33,333 Well, thank you so much for having me and for giving me the opportunity to 79 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:38,333 elaborate a little bit on this truly unfortunate and difficult topic. 80 00:05:39,733 --> 00:05:43,300 As many folks are aware, I, as an election official, 81 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:47,733 have been subjected to threats of political violence over the 82 00:05:47,733 --> 00:05:52,733 last couple of years since the deeply troubling big lie came about in 2020. 83 00:05:55,233 --> 00:06:00,300 And I think what we can see with the situation with Mr. Pena is sort of the follow-through, if 84 00:06:02,866 --> 00:06:07,400 you will, a through line to what can happen when you have folks who are, quite frankly, radicalized 85 00:06:09,833 --> 00:06:13,566 by these notions that elections have been rigged, of course, complete lies, but, furthermore, are 86 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,000 being encouraged by the folks that they identify with in the rhetoric of political violence. 87 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:30,000 So, not only are we talking on social media - - and, by the way, Mr. Pena actually posted 88 00:06:31,900 --> 00:06:36,600 on social media earlier this year that I and some of my colleagues should be hung in the 89 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,600 town square for social -- for alleged treason. So, again, he was actively engaged in the rhetoric. 90 00:06:44,933 --> 00:06:49,933 And then we saw the result of, of course, post-election, him following through on 91 00:06:51,933 --> 00:06:55,300 these threats of political violence and actually taking shots and encouraging and 92 00:06:55,300 --> 00:07:00,333 masterminding a plot to take shots at people's actual homes. So this is deeply concerning. 93 00:07:02,266 --> 00:07:05,800 This rhetoric is deeply concerning. It's not just about threats. It's now about actions. 94 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,433 And I think the most important thing is that we come together as a state 95 00:07:10,433 --> 00:07:15,433 here in New Mexico and as a nation to condemn these threats and acts of political violence. 96 00:07:16,900 --> 00:07:18,766 GEOFF BENNETT: How have the threats 97 00:07:18,766 --> 00:07:22,066 affected you personally? How has it affected the work that you do? 98 00:07:22,066 --> 00:07:25,233 MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER: Well, of course, in my personal life, 99 00:07:25,233 --> 00:07:30,233 I have had to completely change how I do things and become so much more 100 00:07:32,166 --> 00:07:36,133 situationally aware and create so many more protections around myself and my family. 101 00:07:38,633 --> 00:07:42,200 But, again, we're talking about not just me and not just a handful of people. In my state now, 102 00:07:44,166 --> 00:07:48,233 we have a number of elected officials who have been directly affected by not just threats, 103 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,000 but actual acts of political violence. 104 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,233 So, this is causing us all to have a time to come together and think about, what do we need to do, 105 00:07:58,533 --> 00:08:03,200 not only to protect ourselves as individuals and human beings with families in the future, but also 106 00:08:05,666 --> 00:08:09,366 how, again, do we address this deeply concerning violent political rhetoric to make it stop? 107 00:08:11,300 --> 00:08:15,166 GEOFF BENNETT: You have made combating election disinformation a key focus. 108 00:08:15,166 --> 00:08:17,166 In the couple of minutes we have left, 109 00:08:17,166 --> 00:08:20,700 how does that -- what does that work look like for you? How do you go about doing that? 110 00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:25,300 MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER: So, I think the biggest challenge with it is that, 111 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:30,300 for the last couple of years, especially, at first, especially immediately post-2020, 112 00:08:31,700 --> 00:08:36,000 it was incredibly reactive, right, sort of allegations-wise, 113 00:08:37,566 --> 00:08:41,466 misinformation being posted online or stated at press conferences, 114 00:08:43,366 --> 00:08:46,866 and having to come as an election official with skin in this game and with knowledge of 115 00:08:49,433 --> 00:08:53,100 the process to refute and push back on these lies to keep them from becoming unintentional truths. 116 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,800 That's one of our biggest challenges. And now, over the last couple of years, 117 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,933 many of my colleagues -- and, by the way, I should really make sure that I 118 00:09:03,933 --> 00:09:08,733 say this is an issue on both sides of the aisle. Republicans and Democrats, 119 00:09:08,733 --> 00:09:13,733 election officials, in particular, have had to come together and be more much more proactive 120 00:09:15,700 --> 00:09:19,033 about talking about how our elections actually work and to talk about the reality of them. 121 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,500 But the biggest challenge is to talk about our personal stories as people 122 00:09:27,033 --> 00:09:30,633 and how we have been personally affected. This rhetoric isn't just 123 00:09:30,633 --> 00:09:35,400 a throwaway comment on social media. It actually impacts us in our daily lives. 124 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,733 And these threats mean something to us, our families and our children. 125 00:09:38,733 --> 00:09:42,600 GEOFF BENNETT: Maggie Toulouse Oliver is the secretary of state for the state of New Mexico. 126 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,733 Thanks again for your time. We appreciate it. 127 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:50,333 MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER: Thank you.