Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn is asking the U.S. Department of Treasury to formally investigate former-Governor John Hickenlooper’s alleged misuse of a post-9/11 economic recovery fund.
Last year, The Denver Post found Hickenlooper raided the federal fund to pay for his $525-an-hour ethics defense lawyer and other expenses like a $13,000 legacy website. Hickenlooper’s lawyer, who was defending him in a state ethics investigation where he was found guilty of twice violating Colorado ethics laws, has been paid over $133,000 from the federal fund. Lamborn’s complaint follows a similar complaint from Colorado State Senator Paul Lundeen last month.
“Voters and taxpayers deserve clarity on whether Hickenlooper’s raiding of a post-9/11 recovery fund for his own personal and political expenses was illegal,” said NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. “Hickenlooper’s refusal to support a state-level audit or release additional travel records about his first seven years in office underscores his continued lack of transparency. His pattern of reckless spending habits would be disastrous for taxpayers.”
Find Lamborn’s original letter to the Department of Treasury here.