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Duran should resign before impeachment

New Mexico House Speaker Don Tripp, a Republican, is taking criminal charges against Secretary of State Dianna Duran, also a Republican, seriously.

That’s as it should be.

Potential wrongdoing by officeholders should not be another move in the endless chess game of partisan politics, or another chance to score points against opponents.

That Tripp wants to investigate further is a testament to the serious nature of the accusations against Duran — 64 criminal counts that include embezzlement, fraud, tampering with public records and other crimes.

Her first court appearance in the case will be Sept. 15.

That’s the criminal case. Tripp is considering whether the charges are serious enough to demand impeachment. To that end, he announced he is forming a special legislative panel to examine the case against Duran.

The sheer number of charges, he said, made a legislative investigation necessary. Tripp’s decision to look more closely at the case against Duran is the right one to make.

As secretary of state, Duran is responsible for supervising elections statewide. That she is accused of tampering with her own campaign contributions makes her role in keeping track of other candidates’ donations and expenditures somewhat ridiculous. It’s hard to see how she can do her job.

Her lawyer says the embattled secretary of state will fight the charges and is proclaiming her client’s innocence. We await their explanation of the casino withdrawals and the discrepancies in her campaign reports.

Other elected officials, accused of serious crimes and facing impeachment, made the difficult decision to leave office before being impeached by the House; had that happened, a trial in the Senate would have followed.

With Tripp beginning his investigation, Duran might find it is time for her to step aside.

— The Santa Fe New Mexican