There is a major ethics scandal surrounding New Mexico's senior Senator, Pete Domenici. Last March, CREW filed an ethics complaint against Senator Domenici for violating Senate Rules by contacting the U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, and pressuring him about an ongoing corruption probe. According to The Hill, Domenici is currently being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee. That's big news, we think. But, according to KSFR's Bill Dupuy, you wouldn't know about the story from the New Mexico media:

They missed the story the first time when the senator first asked the Federal Election Commission to dig into his campaign warchest for funds to pay his own legal expenses in connection with the ethics committee probe and for his the defense of members of his staff. It's not unusual for a member of congress to be granted the use of such funds for his/her legal expenses. But it's unheard of to pay for the defense of staff.

The information was out there, and KSFR did an extensive interview with Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington. That was in early January.

The in late January came word that the Federal Election Commission could not deliver a formal opinion because it lacks enough members for a quorum. KSFR reported that one, too, from readily available information.

A prominent U.S. senator on an ethics charge and no other reporter in New Mexico gets it.