Luis Toro

Scott Gessler investigation: John Suthers offers support, accused of conflict-of-interest

When Secretary of State Scott Gessler needs legal help, the office of Attorney General John Suthers typically represents him. But in the case of ethics and criminal investigations into Gessler's alleged misuse of public funds, Suthers has stayed out of it due to a potential conflict-of-interest. Sut ... More >>

Scott Gessler is always right...right?

Scott Gessler responds to ethics complaint with new details on death threats, his spending

On Wednesday, we reported on a disturbing phone call made to Secretary of State Scott Gessler, in which a man said he knew where the Republican lived and wanted to kill him. We now have information about a second violent threat -- specific details of which are outlined in Gessler's formal response t ... More >>

Scott Gessler gets extension for response to ethics investigation -- but only eleven days

Secretary of State Scott Gessler is touring the state this week, soliciting feedback from voters on the election. But in the meantime, attorneys for Gessler, who is facing both criminal and ethics investigations into the alleged misuse of public funds, are asking for more time to respond to the com ... More >>

Scott Gessler says he's innocent as Ethics Commission begins investigation

Amid the chaos of election-day preparation this week, news broke that Secretary of State Scott Gessler, Colorado's chief election officer, is facing both criminal and ethics investigations for allegedly misusing public dollars for personal trips. We now have more details on the process of the Indepe ... More >>

Scott Gessler, Colorado's chief election officer, facing criminal and ethics investigations

Election day is finally here -- and with it comes the news that Secretary of State Scott Gessler, Colorado's chief election officer, is facing both criminal and ethics investigations. Last month, a watchdog group accused Gessler of misusing state funds for his personal travels, and now it appears th ... More >>

Scott Gessler: Top Democratic officials silent about potential spending investigation

While Secretary of State Scott Gessler continues to face backlash for his efforts to remove potentially illegal voters from the rolls, his communications team last week was also forced to respond to more serious allegations -- that the Republican official misused public dollars for his private, poli ... More >>

Strategic Allied Consulting: Could controversial voter firm still have Colorado ties?

The Colorado GOP last month cut ties with a controversial voter-registration firm accused of fraud. But Nathan Sproul, the consultant behind the firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, has since popped up elsewhere, continuing voter canvassing work across the country. And in Colorado, some Craigslist adv ... More >>

Scott Gessler should be investigated for misuse of public funds, says Colorado Ethics Watch

Scott Gessler is not only making it harder for people to vote, he's using public funds to help support the Republican Party. At least that's the charge of Colorado Ethics Watch, an advocacy group that is accusing the Secretary of State of spending public dollars to fund trips to political events. Wi ... More >>

Scott Gessler's office running checks on thousands of more potential non-citizens

In August, Secretary of State Scott Gessler ran the names of 1,416 individuals through a federal database in hopes of weeding out illegal immigrant voters. Months later, a total of fourteens voters have been removed from voting rolls in Colorado. But the story doesn't end there. As it turns out, Ges ... More >>

Strategic Allied Consulting: Voter-registration firm ex-employee being investigated in Colorado

Just days before Colorado's voter registration deadline passes, news has leaked that a former employee of a controversial firm hired by the GOP to do voter registration is under investigation by the 18th Judicial District DA's office. The firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, is the same one that hired ... More >>

Scott Gessler asks thousands of registered voters to prove they are citizens

Nearly 4,000 registered voters in Colorado received a letter this week from Secretary of State Scott Gessler asking that they prove their citizenship or otherwise remove themselves from voter rolls. Gessler, who says he is preventing fraud, identified these residents through the Division of Motor Ve ... More >>

Scott Gessler rule changes rejected, watchdog groups pleased

Secretary of State Scott Gessler wants to make it easier for political groups to remain secretive about their spending by rewriting election rules and weakening disclosure laws. That's according to two watchdog groups, who praise a court ruling that blocks most of Gessler's efforts. Denver District ... More >>

Scott Gessler is rewriting rules, weakening disclosure laws, says Colorado Ethics Watch

Political groups in Colorado have more freedom to pour money into campaigns without disclosing their finances thanks to Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who has overstepped his bounds and rewritten election rules. At least that's the charge of Colorado Ethics Watch and Colorado Common Cause, which ... More >>

Update: Jessica Peck v. Colorado Ethics Watch and Colorado Pols, round two

Update below: Wednesday, Colorado Ethics Watch requested an IRS investigation into the nonprofit status of Open Government Institute of Colorado based on a video featuring OGI's executive director, Jessica Peck. The claim: OGI was working to benefit Congressman Mike Coffman, who's running for reelec ... More >>

Political ads: "Magic words" ruling that boosts 527s disappoints Colorado Ethics Watch

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that political organizations dubbed 527s can spend unlimited funds for state candidates as long as the ads they're financing don't include so-called "magic words" such as "vote for" or "defeat." The decision is a disappointment for Colorado Ethics Watch, which b ... More >>

Rachel Maddow takes on Scott Gessler over voting lawsuit against Denver (VIDEO)

Secretary of State Scott Gessler's suit against Denver, intended to prevent Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson from sending ballots to any voter he considers inactive (meaning they didn't vote last year), has provoked outcry from assorted progressive organizations in Colorado. And now, MSNBC's Rachel ... More >>

Larimer County Republican Party target of new complaint from Colorado Ethics Watch

​The Larimer County Republican Party faced massive fines for not filing campaign-finance reports in 2010 -- but last month, the Secretary of State's office reduced the bill from $48,000 to $15,000, leaving critics agog. Now, Colorado Ethics Watch has issued a complaint about what it sees as ad ... More >>

Abstinence-only funding was refused, but that didn't stop a state school-board member

Scott McInnis plagiarism scandal no big deal to attorney disclipline czar

Scott McInnis​Call it a decision that doesn't hold water. The Colorado Supreme Court's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel has found no grounds to impose disciplinary measures on former congressman Scott McInnis -- even though the fact he received $300,000 from a private foundation for pla ... More >>

The Jefferson Parkway project hits more roadblocks

Matt Arnold on losing Colorado Bar Association suit, his bid to chair state Republican party

Matt Arnold.​Matt Arnold, the man behind Clear the Bench, which aimed to throw the bums off the Colorado Supreme Court, has been on a losing streak. Colorado Ethics Watch came out on top in a dispute over whether Clear the Bench should have filed as an issues committee (although CEW was assess ... More >>

Scott Gessler: Sec. of State dumps moonlighting scheme, will try to get by on $68,000 per year

Scott Gessler.​Secretary of State Scott Gessler's plan to moonlight for his old law firm because he couldn't get by on just $68,000 per year created an apparent conflict of interest of off-the-charts proportions and a golden opportunity for satire: See Kenny Be's hilarious Gessler cartoon and ... More >>

Colorado Ethics Watch told to pay Clear the Bench Colorado $13,000 in legal fees

Matt Arnold.​The election may be over, but the political pissing match between Colorado Ethics Watch and Clear the Bench Colorado continues. The latest? An administrative law judge has ruled that CEW must pay CTBC around $13,000 in legal fees related to a complaint determined to have been fil ... More >>

Colorado Ethics Watch case about political ads' "magic words" heads to state supreme court

Luis Toro.​Colorado Ethics Watch is on a roll. Back in September, the organization successfully argued that Clear the Bench Colorado, which wanted to throw the bums off the Colorado Supreme Court, should have registered as a political committee subject to donation limits rather than an issues ... More >>

Clear the Bench Colorado's Matt Arnold in catch-22 over orders from elections division

Matt Arnold.​Clear the Bench Colorado, which aims to throw the bums off the Colorado Supreme Court, recently lost a court challenge from Colorado Ethics Watch and now must file with the Secretary of State's office as a political committee, not an issues committee. And while that may sound like ... More >>

Clear the Bench's Matt Arnold: Court win for CO Ethics Watch a victory for big $ over little guy

Matt Arnold.​The political pissing match between Colorado Ethics Watch and Clear the Bench Colorado, which wants to throw the bums off the state's supreme court, was resolved on Friday in CEW's favor. Granted, CEW will have to pay some court costs from a July hearing -- but Clear the Bench's M ... More >>

Colorado Ethics Watch wins Clear the Bench case, but still may have to pay some legal fees

Luis Toro.​There's a strange, split resolution in the political pissing match between Colorado Ethics Watch and Clear the Bench Colorado, which aims to throw the bums off the state's supreme court. Administrative Law Judge Robert Spencer has ruled in CEW's favor. But the organization still owe ... More >>

Clear the Bench's Matt Arnold takes on Colorado Ethics Watch over "delayed" legal-fee payment

Matt Arnold.​Today's entertainingly pissy political pissing match pits Clear the Bench Colorado's Matt Arnold, who wants to throw the bums off the state's supreme court, against Colorado Ethics Watch, which filed a campaign-finance complaint against Clear the Bench in May. The issue? Legal bi ... More >>

Clear the Bench's Matt Arnold calls Colorado Ethics Watch complaint a "pathetic political ploy"

That gavel's seen better days...​Colorado Ethics Watch has filed a campaign-finance complaint against ClearTheBenchColorado.org, whose founder, Matt Arnold, wants to throw the bums off the Colorado Supreme Court. The gripe? Clear the Bench is registered with the Secretary of State's office as ... More >>

"Terrible" Supreme Court ruling a slap in the face to Colorado voters, says Colorado Ethics Watch head

A Flickr photoComing to a TV station near you?​Yesterday, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially gave corporations and unions carte blanche to spend as much as they'd like on campaigns, and to do so directly. Because the ruling conflicts with a voter-passed 2002 Colorado amendm ... More >>

Scott McInnis (kind of) tops Colorado Ethics Watch's top five ethics scandals of 2009 list

"Hey, my hands are clean!"​Last year, ethics in Colorado improved by 50 percent -- at least judging by Colorado Ethics Watch's list of the year's top ethical standards. After all, the 2008 edition was ten items long, but the 2009 sports just five. "We realized it had been a slow year," says ne ... More >>