The race for Attorney General has heated up on the airwaves and, in a recent attack ad, Democrat Ra\u00fal Torrez is criticizing his Republican opponent for being a defense attorney while he was \u201cstanding up for victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the ad, Torrez, a two-term Bernalillo County District Attorney, says he is going to stop the \u201crevolving door\u201d of criminal justice and then he attacks Republican Jeremy Gay for \u201crepresenting dangerous criminals, child sex offenders.”<\/p>\n

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Torrez is making reference to a federal court case in which Gay is listed as the attorney representing a man who was charged with aggravated sexual abuse and intentionally touching a minor. The man he represented pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 78 months in prison.<\/p>\n

KOAT legal expert John Day says just because an attorney was a criminal defense lawyer should not eliminate them from running for Attorney General.<\/p>\n

“The lawyer’s job is to provide a defense to the client, end of story,\u201d Day said. “When you’re a lawyer, you take an oath to defend the constitution the same way doctors take an oath to do no harm and serve their patients. And you can’t say that just because a lawyer is defending someone, that they’re endorsing their conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

Target 7 reached out to Gay’s campaign. In an email, a spokesman said Gay didn’t actually represent the man and “Ra\u00fal’s allegations are a complete misrepresentation. Jeremy’s law staff file what’s called an \u2018entry of appearance\u2019 in cases that pass through the firm regardless of whether he works directly on them. He did not appear in court, draft any pleadings or participate in any litigation in U.S. Versus Largo. The defendant was fully represented by another attorney\u2014which is the constitutional right of every American.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the entry of appearance in federal court, Gay’s name is signed electronically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ad is technically correct,\u201d Day said. \u201cJeremy Gay did file an actual document that says ‘entry of appearance,’ which means he personally entered an appearance in the case. And that’s a fact that’s in the court file.”<\/p>\n

Target 7 combed through state court records as well and found that Gay’s law firm also represented people charged with DWIs. According to Torrez’s campaign website, he never spent time as a defense attorney. Gay\u2019s site says he is a former marine and he too spent time prosecuting criminals in the Judge Advocate General’s Office.<\/p>\n

Current attorney general Hector Balderas is unable to run for office due to the state’s term limits.<\/p>\n

The last time a Republican was elected AG was in 1986.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n