Super PAC Already Subject to Complaint for Making Illegal Contributions to Senator Gardner Launches False Smear on Hickenlooper
Mitch McConnell’s super PAC, already in trouble for alleged illegal contributions to Senator Cory Gardner’s campaign, is on the air with an ad that grossly and falsely invokes the 9/11 attacks.
Gardner’s Washington allies have repeatedly aired ads that have been widely debunked by independent fact checkers, labeled “horrifying” and “smell like sh*t.” This new low is no different.
“Mitch McConnell’s super PAC is disgustingly exploiting 9/11 in a false attack ad just days before we commemorate the tragedy’s 19th anniversary,” said Hickenlooper for Colorado press secretary Ammar Moussa. “As governor, John traveled to bring jobs to Colorado and lead the state out of the Great Recession, taking it from 40th in job creation to the number one economy in the country. Senator Gardner’s super PAC and dark money friends are getting increasingly desperate because they know they can’t defend his record of selling out Colorado to Donald Trump and his special interest donors.”
Mitch McConnell’s super PAC is set to spend millions boosting Gardner, who has voted with McConnell 95 percent of the time. An FEC complaint is currently pending on Gardner allegedly accepting illegal contributions from the group when President Trump visited Colorado earlier this year.
Please see below to get the facts about this misleading smear.
FACT: The truth is there is no 9/11 fund – that’s a lie by Republican operatives. The fund referenced in this ad is leftover ‘state fiscal relief’ from a 2003 federal law. This fund has been used by every Governor since then, Republican and Democrat, on state expenses.
- President Bush did not mention 9/11 in his remarks at the signing ceremony of the “Jobs And Growth Tax Reconciliation Act.” – George Bush White House Archive
- The ‘Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003’ “Provides $10 billion for State and local government assistance and $10 billion for Medicaid assistance through September 30, 2004. Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Temporary State Fiscal Relief” – Congress.gov
- “’Post-9/11 Recovery Funds?’ You Mean the ‘Bush Tax Cuts?’” – Colorado Pols
- “These funds were intended to provide antirecession fiscal stimulus to the national economy and to help close state budget shortfalls due to the recession that began in March 2001.” – U.S. Government Accountability Office
- “For the past dozen years, the fund has been treated as a highly discretionary tool in the budgetary tool belts of Colorado’s governors, granting them wide flexibility over how its money was spent.” – Denver Post
FACT: Governor Hickenlooper used Colorado’s state plane to travel to official functions, just like other Governors.
- Hickenlooper went to Aspen for a meeting of the Aspen Security Forum, a “non-partisan public venue for global leaders to discuss the key national security issues of the day” that was attended by leaders in both parties and national security experts.
- In Idaho, he spoke on a panel regarding “The Future of Cities” and spoke with the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee about Denver’s consideration of hosting the games.
- The state plane was purchased by Republican Governor Bill Owens, using the exact same ‘state fiscal relief’ mentioned in this ad.
FACT: It is “common practice” for the state to appoint legal counsel to defend officials named in complaints.
- “Because the ethics violations occurred while Hickenlooper was governor, his defense was paid for by the government — common practice in Colorado.” – Denver Post
- “In the past two years, the state has also covered the legal costs for an outside attorney representing state Sen. Vicki Marble of Fort Collins” – Colorado Politics
