Palacios: Torres’ lawsuit wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money

Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios criticized yesterday Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres’ decision to file a lawsuit against the House of Representatives Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee, describing it as “yet another wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money and one that only further denies the public their right to know the truth.”

Palacios, a Republican who is running for governor in the November 2022 general elections as an independent, said it is “unfortunate and disheartening” that Torres went as far as filing the lawsuit, given that he has repeatedly and publicly stated that he’s got nothing to hide.

Torres’ lawsuit came about after he announced Tuesday morning that he is not appearing before the JGO Committee that served him with a subpoena to appear and testify. This prompted the JGO Committee, chaired by Rep. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan), to hold him in contempt. Tuesday afternoon, Torres and the Office of the Governor, filed a lawsuit against the JGO Committee to quash the subpoena. Torres and the Office of the Governor, through Joseph E. Horey and Gilbert Birnbrich respectively, asked the Superior Court to declare that the JGO Committee’s subpoena served on the governor is invalid and unlawful since the Executive Branch is a separate and equal branch of government under the Commonwealth Constitution.

In a statement yesterday, Palacios said all this time, energy, and money being spent on fighting the subpoena could be put to better use on getting all the much-needed unemployment insurance, stimulus, and child tax monies into the hands of people in a timely manner and without all the delays that the people are seeing.

Palacios said the allegations of misuse of taxpayers’ money are very serious that only Torres himself must put to rest.

“The public deserves an explanation, nothing less. They have the right to know the truth because, after all, it is their money,” he said.

Palacios said the inclusion of House sergeant-at-arms in the lawsuit for simply doing his job is “disrespectful, appalling, and completely uncalled for.” He said this is not the way to treat nor show appreciation to any of the CNMI’s veterans.

Towai was named co-defendant in the lawsuit as Torres asked the court to enjoin Towai from arresting him.