A whiny New Mexico State Sen. Jacob Candeleria berated state cops, threatened to call Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on them, and ordered them to leave his apartment when he didn't like what they had to say about an allegedly threatening phone message Candelaria received over the weekend, the State Police lapel camera of the call shows.
"Please don't talk down to me because I will get the governor, on the phone, or whoever, because I don't understand why this is my problem," Candelaria told the three state police officers who came to his Albuquerque apartment to get more information about the alleged threat.
Here's a link to the three-minute video.
During the three-minute video, repeatedly told the cops that he was a state senator and that he and his husband were going to leave town because they didn't feel safe after the phone call.
"You may not have respect for me, but I am a member of the Senate," Candelaria, an Albuquerque Democrat, told the officers. "I took an oath, to this day, and I don't deserve to have my life threatened."
Candelaria complained to the officers that he had reported the threat about 13 hours earlier and was disappointed that it took so long for officers to show up. "I'm Senator Jacob Candeleria. I received a death threat last night at two o'clock in the morning," Candeleria told the officers. "So I got a death threat. My husband and I are leaving the city of Albuquerque right now because we don't feel safe. I don't know what it's going to take. It's been thirteen hours, guys, thirteen hours."
At one point an officer asked Candeleria to sit down. Candelaria replied:
"No. I'm a senator. This senator is getting ready and leaving. I was told that you were coming to help us leave town. So Senator Candelaria and his husband are leaving their home. If you want to watch us while we get in our car and go out and tell them to protect our lives."
Candelaria originally welcomed the officers into his home, but he got angry when the officers said they were working on finding the man who made the alleged threat.
Candelaria played the voice message for the officers. It said, in part: "You don't know what it means to be an American.You're a stupid motherfucker, and we're going to get you out one way or another. Fuck you."
After playing the message for the officers, Candelaria asked them, "So is that a threat gentlemen?"
When an officer replied, "Sir, that's how it can be interpreted," Candelaria kicked them out of his house.
"Leave my house. You are asked to leave," Candelaria said. You don't have a warrant. You don't have the authority to be here. Get out."