The attorney for embattled New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is declaring her client's innocence and asking a state district judge for more time to mount a defense.
Attorney Erlinda Johnson has filed a motion seeking to push back a preliminary hearing scheduled for late October.
She told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the attorney general's office has distorted the evidence and she needs more time to demonstrate that the reams of documentation provided by prosecutors don't support the alleged criminal conduct.
Duran has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges stemming from allegations that she used campaign donations for personal gain and filed false records.
Prosecutors are challenging the motion. A response filed Wednesday states there's no reason for a delay and that it's premature for Duran to raise statutory and constitutional challenges.
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