Suspended NMSU professor hits the road promoting election fraud claims after defying COVID-19 mandates
LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State University business college professor David Clements remains on emergency suspension following his rejection of campus mask mandates in his classroom and the university’s vaccine mandate.
Clements was suspended with pay in August, according to a notice from the provost’s office, after several students filed complaints. On Aug. 27 the investigation and his administrative leave were formally extended.
In the meantime, he has been traveling to advocate for audits of the 2020 presidential election, claiming widespread election fraud and referring to Donald Trump as “the real president” on the social networking site Telegram, where he has documented his travels and promoted events.
Clements, a lawyer who previously served as deputy district attorney in New Mexico’s 12th Judicial District, has also reported on the site that he is answering to complaints against him at the disciplinary board of the New Mexico Supreme Court and has been blocked from flights on certain airlines. He has also responded to criticisms of an online fundraiser organized on his behalf by a supporter.
When reached by the Las Cruces Sun-News, Clements offered to make himself available for an unedited video interview with a required reading list for the interviewer regarding COVID-19, vaccines and the efficacy of masks. The Sun-News declined those conditions.
Clements has cultivated a following as a conservative commentator through online video commentaries and appearances on conservative podcasts and television programs, including “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News. He was a Republican primary candidate for the U.S Senate in 2014.
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As the fall semester got underway last month, Clements posted a video on social networking site Rumble of himself informing a class he would not be wearing or requiring masks, and would make his course available online as an option.
“As you can see, I am not wearing a mask,” he said to the class. “Why is that? Because I haven’t lost my mind, that’s why. I will not wear a mask.”
The university requires students and staff to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or document negative tests for the disease on a weekly basis. It has also implemented a system-wide indoor mask mandate mirroring New Mexico public health orders.
While the university conducts its investigation, Clements has been prohibited from teaching or having contact with any student or employee of the university except his immediate supervisor, according to a redacted notification released by the university. Clements is also to remain available to report to work upon request.
This week, per his Telegram feed, he traveled to North Carolina to take part in events alleging election fraud and is scheduled to participate in events in Oregon and Montana.
‘My personal life has been turned upside down’
The platform has also served as an online diary chronicling Clements’ shift from the classroom to a busy schedule of public appearances as a staunch pro-Trump skeptic of the 2020 elections amid professional turmoil.
“My personal life has been turned upside down because of this battle,” he wrote in a Sept. 6 Telegram post. “I’m now responding to numerous complaints from my legal profession. I have been threatened with the prospect of disbarment. I have been removed from the University, pending a final disposition. I have been removed from certain commercial airlines. Threats towards my family and the need for security is now a constant consideration in how we operate.”
The Supreme Court’s disciplinary board does not make complaints against attorneys public and has not taken disciplinary action against Clements as a licensed attorney. Clements wrote that he responded to “a baseless complaint” stemming from a presentation he made at an August “Cyber Symposium” organized in South Dakota by business executive Mike Lindell, a prominent supporter of Trump.
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He did not elaborate on which airlines had blocked him or how many, though he wrote about landing on a flight into El Paso International Airport Wednesday evening.
An online fundraiser on Clements’ behalf had raised nearly $278,000 in donations as of Thursday. The campaign was launched by Joe Oltmann, founder of the conservative political group FEC United and a promoter of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Initially, the fundraiser headline stated that Clements was “fired for standing up” though he was actually on paid leave, and later revised to claim he was “being fired,” writing that the termination was “a forgone conclusion.”
Both Oltmann and Clements have since responded online to apparent questions or criticisms of the fundraiser.
“I’m now receiving constant attacks for having the good fortune of receiving such generous support by you. Such is the way of evil,” Clements wrote.
He went on to explain that he had dipped into the funds for a new computer system for his media activity and auto repairs. He also said he was investing time in pro bono legal work and was not accepting speaking fees or honorariums for the events in which he has participated, nor monetizing his videos online.
“If someone sponsors the ticket, and provides a roof, schedule permitting, I’m there to serve,” he wrote Monday.
On the same day, Oltmann wrote, “I started a fund for him so he could live during the fight. He’s got a long fight ahead and he is fighting for all of us. The people supported him for standing up and so did I …”
He added, “I know that David will be a good steward of those funds and serve others.”
Clements is billed as a speaker at a Sunday “Freedom over Fear” rally in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Algernon D’Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.
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