Rhetoric ratcheted up again Friday over this week's confrontation between Occupy protesters and members of a politically conservative group of legislators at a downtown Santa Fe restaurant.

One state lawmaker accused a colleague of possibly knowing beforehand about Wednesday's "assault" at the Eldorado hotel.

During a lengthy speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Albuquerque Republican Rep. Bill Rehm on Friday also wondered whether security should be beefed up at the Capitol and whether the city of Santa Fe was safe enough to remain the state's capital.

"Is Santa Fe a safe setting for a Legislature or should we seek another city?" Rehm asked his colleagues.

House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, immediately jumped to Santa Fe's defense following Rehm's speech.

"I resent that," Luján responded. "The city of Santa Fe is definitely safe. We get tourists from throughout the world. We have said we don't condone these types of incidents. To try and paint the city of Santa Fe as not being safe I think is not productive."

Luján's district includes part of Santa Fe.

The Wednesday night incident left one or more people, including a female dinner guest of Rehm's, injured. It also heightened emotions around the Roundhouse and sparked discussions about how far protests can go before becoming dangerous.

While Rehm's suggestion to study moving the state capital generated little discussion Friday, his concerns about security at the Roundhouse weren't isolated.

Wednesday night's incident and the Occupy protesters who interrupted Gov. Susan Martinez's State of the Union speech on the first day of the 30-day legislative session "certainly has caused us to re-evaluate our security," Sen. President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, said Friday.

According to several legislators who were at Wednesday night's dinner at the Eldorado's Old House restaurant, a female guest of Rehm's was struck in the eye by a piece of cardboard -- actually a satirical "dinner menu and program" created by protesters. According to legislators, she suffered a scratched cornea. Rehm has said his friend's eye is improving.

Although Rehm never mentioned a lawmaker by name in his speech, Rep. Brian Egolf, a Santa Fe Democrat, said the Albuquerque Republican was referring to him.

Rehm told the House on Friday that he had heard that one House lawmaker met "with the Occupy persons in the bar [at the Eldorado Hotel] just prior to the" incident. But that lawmaker left prior to the confrontation. "One must ask why," Rehm said. "For what purpose was this meeting? Why didn't they stay for dinner? Did they know a reason not to stay?"

Rehm also called on any legislator who had signed a pledge with Occupy to "re-evaluate this organization's true beliefs and should distance themselves from Occupy until there is a change in direction."

Egolf acknowledged signing a pledge and said he didn't regret doing so.

"It's really unfortunate that he [Rehm] is making wildly false accusations and claims on the floor," Egolf said in a hallway outside the House chamber after Rehm's speech. "He doesn't have his facts even remotely straight, and is conflating rumor and innuendo to make it sound like it is true. And it's especially sad that it is happening on the floor."

The Santa Fe Democrat said he has condemned what happened Wednesday night.

As for his presence at the Eldorado's bar Wednesday night, he said his law office is near the hotel. He stopped by on his way home to say hello to some of the legislators attending a dinner for the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC.

He then walked through the bar.

"There were some constituents sitting there who apparently are with the Occupy group who were in there eating and having drinks," Egolf said, explaining he talked briefly with them. "I left, went home and had dinner with my wife."

It wasn't until later that night when someone emailed his wife with the news that he learned what happened at the Eldorado, Egolf said.

Egolf accused Rehm and others of diverting attention away from Occupy's central message by focusing on Wednesday night's event.

"I think it's important to talk about 'Is there a fair playing field? Do people get a fair shake?' " Egolf said. "That's what we should be talking about, not about what some crazy people did in a restaurant."

A spokesman for Occupy protesters has said the injury was unfortunate but maintained that female members of the protest group were choked by ALEC members and that another ALEC member punched a male protester in the face.

On Friday night, Santa Fe police Capt. Aric Wheeler said none of the statements taken from witnesses or participants at the hotel Wednesday night mentioned someone being punched in the face.

"No one to my knowledge from Occupy has come forward to give us information," Wheeler said.

Wheeler added that no arrests had been made but the department continues to investigate the incident.

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.