City Council Re-Appoints Attorney Implicated In FBI Investigation
EL PASO, TX – City Council re-appointed anattorney implicated in the FBI’s public corruption investigation to the Public Regulation Board.
Local Attorney Marti Jobe has acknowleged she was one of the co-conspirators implicated in the corruption investigation by John Travis Ketner, the former Chief of Staff for County Judge Anthony Cobos. However, El Paso Mayor John Cook tells ABC-7 he was not going to let accusations stop him from appointing her as a board member.
“I think it’s totally unfair to withhold board appointments because of allegations. And that’s all we have right now…allegations,” said Cook.
The reappointment was made despite court documents stating Jobe’s anticipation of an indictment as a result of the investigation.
Cook requested Jobe’s reappointment be added to the City Council’s agenda back on August 16th and Jobe even sent the mayor a copy of her resume.
The next day, court documents revealed Federal Judge Frank Montalvo was not going to recuse himself from the public corruption investigation at the request of Jobe.
Montalvo’s decision was made in regards to a motion filed by Jobe several days earlier, in which she requested Montalvo recuse himself from the investigation because she would call on him as a witness in case she was indicted.
“They’re not indicting…they obviously don’t have enough evidence to indict anyone. Yet, you have this cloud hanging over people’s heads,” said Cook in response the allegations looming over Jobe’s head.
Cook did state he could have found somebody who did not have controversial allegations surrounding them. “We could have but I did not see any reason to do that,” he said, “I’m considering Miss Jobe to be innocent until proven guilty.”
The motion to approve Jobe’s re-appointment was made as part of a “Consent Agenda,” during which the City Council approves all items listed on the agenda at once. Jobe’s reappointment and all other items were approved unanimously and without any questioning by city representatives.
