NM State House Republican Leader Jim Townsend has called on State Representative Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) to return any campaign contributions that may have been illegally raised in violation the federal Hatch Act. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Reform requested that the US Office of Special Counsel begin an investigation into potential violations of the Hatch Act by his wife, Xochitl Torres Small, former Congresswoman and current Under Secretary of Rural Development. Under Secretary Torres Small is accused of abusing her federal office to illegally raise campaign funds for Democrats, including her husband’s campaign in southern New Mexico.