Attorney General Gary King told reporters Friday that his office believes a letter of resignation from the former state Elections Bureau director is public information — contrary to what the Secretary of State's Office claims.

King said that "at first blush" the letter from A.J. Salazar, in which Salazar reportedly accuses Secretary of State Mary Herrera of violating New Mexico's Governmental Conduct Act and election laws, should be considered public information and handed over to reporters.

On Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Francisco Trujillo refused to give The New Mexican and other news organizations a copy of Salazar's letter, claiming it was a "personnel issue."

Contacted about King's comments on Friday, Trujillo said, "If I find out that's true on Monday, I'll gladly give you a copy of the letter." But first, he said, he plans to check with state Risk Management Division lawyers. He said he was going to talk to those lawyers on Friday, but it was a furlough day for state employees so they weren't working.

Trujillo said it wasn't only Salazar whom he was trying to protect by not releasing the letter but other employees mentioned in the letter.

According to published reports, however, the main person mentioned in the letter is Herrera herself.

King confirmed that his office is looking at Salazar's accusations. "Those are some serious allegations," he said.

But one of the first things the Attorney General's Office has to decide is whether his office would have a conflict of interest in any ensuing investigation or prosecution. Herrera told the Albuquerque Journal this week that she consulted the Attorney General's Office about some of the issues Salazar raised.

In a copyrighted article Thursday, the Journal reported that Salazar's letter said Herrera "insisted that we obtain 'sponsorships' or donations through targeted communications with firms or businesses with whom we contract" to support training seminars for county clerks across New Mexico.

Salazar said Herrera accused him of going over her head when he sought legal advice on the sponsorships.

He also said Herrera ordered her exempt employees — political hires outside the state personnel system — to gather 1,000 signatures each for her re-election campaign. Herrera told the Journal that the petitions were brought up during a lunch meeting and some people volunteered to gather signatures but "nothing was handed to my employees by me."

Herrera on Thursday released a statement saying Salazar's allegations "are false and misleading."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.