Comments made about rape during a committee hearing last week are now drawing demands for an apology from a Republican lawmaker.
The Santa Fe New Mexican wrote a story about Rep. Kelly Fajardo, R-Albuquerque, demanding an apology from Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, over what he said in the House Judiciary Committee on legislation to take parental rights away from rapists.
“Rape is defined in many ways, and some of it is just drunken college sex,” Martinez said according to the New Mexican.
From the New Mexican:
“It is simply inexcusable that Rep. Kenny Martinez dismissed a serious crime as nothing more than a night of ‘drunken college sex,’ “Fajardo said in a news release. “His comments are belittling to anyone who has ever been a victim and survivor of sexual abuse, and I hope that he will apologize.”
Martinez later responded.
“It’s really unfortunate that Rod Adair and Kelly Fajardo are pulling this political stunt on something that’s so important,” Martinez said. “… To create a political stunt on something this important, I really think they owe an apology to every victim of rape in the state of New Mexico.”
(The reference to Adair is because the issue first arose today in the former senator’s New Mexico Political Journal, which now is accusing me of “stealing” their story, which I picked up from a House GOP press release, but that’s another story …)
New Mexico Political Report did not receive the press release from the House Republican caucus.
KRQE later spoke to both officials.
“I don’t know if it was taken out of context, but it deserves an apology,” Rep. Kelly Fajardo, a Republican from Belen said of the comment.
…
“To create a political stunt on something this important, I really think they owe an apology to every victim of rape in the state of New Mexico,” he said.
Rep. Martinez said the comment wasn’t meant as a joke and Dems say it was taken out of context.
Audio of the incident is available on the governor’s website. The governor’s office tapes and archives all House and Senate floor sessions and usually one committee in each chamber.
