Senator Cory Gardner’s out-of-state dark money Republican allies pouring millions into misleading attacks against former Governor John Hickenlooper are out with a new ad that ignores Governor Jared Polis’ urgent plea that they stop attacking COVID-19 relief and focus on extending the unemployment aid that expired in July, as well as additional support for Coloradans impacted by the public health crisis and economic downturn.
Governor Polis tweeted earlier this week “Coloradans don’t need Dark Money groups attacking efforts to deliver COVID-19 relief – we need Washington to end the distractions & get back to work to extend unemployment relief, shore up USPS, & pass the overdue relief measures that will actually help us respond to this crisis.”
Yet, the same dishonest group that continues to lie about the 2003 stimulus funds is out with another false attack to distract from Senator Gardner’s failure to get anything done on additional COVID-19 relief. Senator Gardner is heading into the third week of his August recess after working with his party to block additional coronavirus relief, something he once claimed would be “unfathomable“.
Please see below for the facts about these disgusting lies.
FACT: The truth is there is no 9/11 fund – that’s a lie by Republican operatives. The federal fund that paid for former Governor Hickenlooper’s legal representation 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.
- 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
- “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
- 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
- “’Post-9/11 Recovery Funds?’ You Mean the ‘Bush Tax Cuts?’” – Colorado Pols
- “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: Cory Gardner supported a $500 billion, taxpayer funded COVID relief corporate “slush fund.”
- The plan backed by Gardner had “weak restrictions on restricting corporate buybacks” and allowed businesses to “take the money, then fire their workers anyway.”
FACT: Gardner refused to speak up after Trump fired the watchdog responsible for overseeing COVID-19 relief funds, removing a crucial safeguard to ensure taxpayer funded relief would go to those in need.
- The Colorado Springs Business Journal editorial board called for Gardner to “step up and demand the White House adhere to the principles of accountability and fiscal responsibility that Republicans claim to espouse.” But Gardner remained silent instead.
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
FACT: In a recent editorial, the Denver Post called Hickenlooper “an ethical public servant” who “tried to comply with the spirit and letter of the law.”
- A Denver Post editorial said, “we don’t believe Hickenlooper was trying to undermine the system, or disrespect the commission, or avoid accountability. In fact, the governor has been extremely transparent.”
- They also noted “there is ample evidence that he tried to comply with the spirit and letter of the law,” and “we consider both of those infractions to be relatively minor violations of the ethics laws.”
- They further noted, Hickenlooper was “an ethical public servant” who made “an honest mistake.”
