Tag: House Ethics Committee

Third District Colorado Congressman Scott Tipton unseated Democrat John Salazar in last year's Tea Party-fueled Republican wave election, where voters sought to shake up business-as-usual in Washington. The brother of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, John Salazar is a long-time government employee who served in the state House before heading to Washington for three terms. He was a ripe target in 2010. Tipton was no political innocent, however, and now just months into his term he has admitted to the House Ethics Committee that his daughter has been using his office to promote the tele-townhall company where she’s employed.

The Colorado House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Wednesday morning to dismiss a complaint against state Rep. David Balmer, a Centennial Republican, who faced charges he improperly tried to influence a leadership election to succeed House Minority Leader Mike May last month. May filed the complaint against Balmer -- and suspended plans to resign from the Legislature to tend to his business -- after a newly elected Aurora Republican reported a lobbyist for the Colorado Chiropractic Association, who backed Balmer for minority leader, contacted her about the leadership race with a check in hand.

While the state legislature's House Ethics Committee continues to investigate allegations that Centennial Republican Rep. David Balmer and a lobbyist a little too exuberantly pressed for votes to ensure Balmer's ascension to Colorado House Minority Leader, an ethics watchdog has posted the complaint dossiers online for all to see.