Allegations have fueled race for the 4th

By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 10, 2008 at 4:23 p.m.
Updated October 10, 2008 at 4:23 p.m.

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Dueling allegations of impropriety between the two candidates competing for the 4th Congressional District seat hit the airwaves before autumn leaves started touching the ground.

Republican incumbent Marilyn Musgrave and Democrat Betsy Markey have filed criminal complaints against one another, each claiming the other is running a false campaign. That is a misdemeanor in Colorado.

The complaints — which have marked one of the state's nastier races — center on television advertisements, which have been running for several weeks.

A Musgrave ad insinuates Markey used her job as a Senate aide to steer government contracts to the company that she and her husband started in 1986.

"What would you say if you knew Betsy Markey had grown a small business?" the ad states. "But what if you knew she actually got rich on non-competitive Haliburton style contracts and her contracts more than doubled after she took a key Congressional job?"

Markey vehemently denies the accusations and said the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee had determined that the company, Syscom Services, Inc., was entitled to receive federal contracts while she worked as a regional director for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.

"Musgrave's allegations regarding my conduct while employed by Sen. Salazar are materially false," Markey wrote in a letter to Larry Abrahamson, the Larimer County district attorney.

Markey ran an ad accusing Musgrave, among other things, of sponsoring a bill for self-profit, prompting Musgrave to file a complaint.

In a separate letter to Abrahamson, Musgrave said the ad is "demonstrably false."

Musgrave co-sponsored a tax change that would treat coins as an investment instead of a collectible, which would qualify them for the maximum capital gains rate.

Since Musgrave's husband owns a coin collection, the ad accuses Musgrave of sponsoring legislation "to save her family thousands."

Musgrave called the allegations ridiculous.

"To suggest supporting a tax cut is a conflict of interest is absurd," Musgrave wrote in a letter to Abrahamson. "Under that standard, members of congress would be facing a conflict of interest for every tax change they support."

Both complaints are being investigated by a bipartisan, advisory committee set up by the Colorado District Attorneys' Council to look into such complaints, said Ted C. Tow, the council's executive director.

"The committee indicated that more investigation was needed before any advisory opinion could be issued," Tow said.

• October 10, 2008

  6:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  hunterman writes:

  >>> Since Musgrave's husband owns a coin collection, the ad accuses Musgrave of sponsoring legislation "to save her family thousands."

  Musgrave called the allegations ridiculous.

  "To suggest supporting a tax cut is a conflict of interest is absurd," Musgrave wrote in a letter to Abrahamson. "Under that standard, members of congress would be facing a conflict of interest for every tax change they support." <<<

  Sesms that would depend on the value of the collection, and how much you stood to personally gain. Easy enough to clear that up if you choose.

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