Congress
Colorado’s Buck, Beauprez to speak at CPAC panel comparing wall, extreme vetting to heaven
DENVER – Two Colorado politicians will speak this Saturday at a session at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) titled, “If Heaven Has a Gate, A Wall, and Extreme Vetting, Why Can’t America?”
Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado’s Republican CO-4 representative, and former CO-7 Rep. Bob Beauprez, who most recently launched two unsuccessful bids for the governorship, are among five speakers on the panel, which also includes Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Mike Gonzales of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, and Helen Krieble of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation, who is also a Coloradan.
The panel is one of hundreds at the annual event, which has been under more of a microscope than usual this year after it originally invited Milo Yiannopolous to speak at the event, then rescinded its invitation to the alt-right blogger after he made comments advocating pederasty.
But the panel Buck and Beauprez will speak on has been jeered on social media for various reasons.
The official CPAC website lists Beauprez, who is the moderator of the panel, not as a former representative, but rather as a current one. It also says he represents Colorado’s 10th Congressional district, which does not exist.
And though Beauprez is Roman Catholic, the Pope even seemingly threw shade at the panel.
Jesus entrusted to Peter the keys to open the entrance to the kingdom of heaven, and not to close it.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 22, 2017
“Jesus entrusted Peter the keys to open the entrance to the kingdom of heaven, and not to close it,” Pope Francis tweeted.
Both Buck and Beauprez wrote on their Facebook pages that they would be speaking at the CPAC panel. Beauprez said he was “honored” to have been asked to participate.
Among other panels at CPAC: Facts, Not Feelings: Snowflakes, Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings; and When Did WWIII Begin?
C-SPAN is streaming the conference through the weekend.
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White House compares recreational pot to opioid crisis, says DOJ will be ‘taking action’
WASHINGTON – White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said at Thursday’s daily press briefing that he expects the Department of Justice will be “taking action” against states that have legalized recreational marijuana, and at the same time seemingly compared recreational use to the nationwide opioid crisis.
“There’s a big difference between [medical] and recreational marijuana,” Spicer said. “And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing that we should be doing is encouraging people.” Continue reading
Colorado’s senators split votes on controversial EPA nominee Scott Pruitt, who is confirmed
WASHINGTON – Colorado’s U.S. senators split their votes on the president’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, who was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-46 vote.
Pruitt, who has been Oklahoma’s attorney general since he was elected in 2010, has faced scrutiny over his ties to the oil and gas industry and has filed 14 lawsuits against the EPA over water and air pollution regulations over his career. Continue reading
Another Denver undocumented mother in sanctuary at area church; sanctuary network aims to expand
DENVER – Jeanette Vizguerra made national headlines Wednesday when she sought sanctuary at a Denver church after finding out she’d be deported. But another Denver woman in a similar situation has been in sanctuary at a different area church since last fall.
Ingrid Encalada LaTorre, 33, has been living at the Mountain View Quaker meeting house in Denver since the end of November.
She sought sanctuary at the church after learning she could be deported last fall. The mother of two, from Peru, used false papers to work at an area nursing home.
LaTorre requested a deportation stay Nov. 24 with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but still hasn’t received one.
“I am doing this to not only stop my own deportation, but also to raise awareness that there are thousands of others like me – people whose only offense was to work and pay into the social safety net, and whose only desire is to live safely with our families,” LaTorre told Denver7 last year.
Like Vizguerra, LaTorre has children who were born in the U.S. and are American citizens.
And Mountain View is one of nine churches statewide currently participating in a sanctuary network, though officials hope to eventually increase that number to about 60.
“We’re mostly feeling to respond to the human situations of families being broken up, parents with citizen children, and are in general a recognition of the very positive role that immigration plays in our nation’s history,” said Eric Wright, an activist working to expand the sanctuary network.
The Washington Post reports that the nationwide sanctuary network has expanded to about 800 participating churches and community centers over the past year.
Since President Donald Trump issued an executive order aiming to deport some of the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. illegally last month, ICE agents have arrested hundreds of people nationwide — some of whom have committed minor offenses, like Vizguerra and LaTorre, but others without criminal records.
LaTorre says she is staying in sanctuary for her family’s sake.
“We cannot stand idly by and let our government threaten the integrity of families,” a spokesman for Mountain View, David Poundstone, told Denver7. “We feel called upon to engage in civil initiative to invoke the tradition of sanctuary to protect those under threat of harm.”
Vizguerra’s attorney, Hans Meyer, and staffers from Rep. Diana DeGette’s office visited with her at First Unitarian Thursday.
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Undocumented Colorado mother of 3 U.S. citizens on deportation fight: ‘It will not end today’
DENVER — The fight of one undocumented mother living in Colorado escalated Wednesday after she fled to a Denver church to avoid immigration officials who are now seeking to deport her.
“It will not end today,” Jeanette Vizguerra proudly said to the applause of her supporters. She spoke in her native tongue of Spanish to explain why she is fighting to remain in the U.S., despite efforts to deport her. Continue reading
Colorado Attorney General sues Boulder County over oil and gas moratorium
BOULDER, Colo. – The Colorado Attorney General’s Office sued Boulder County and its board of commissioners Tuesday after weeks of threatening to do so if the county did not repeal a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in unincorporated parts of the county.
Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and the state of Colorado are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which Coffman had threatened since last month if the county didn’t repeal its moratorium by Feb. 10.
Boulder County put the moratorium in place in 2012 and has extended it eight times, most recently in December, when county commissioners voted to extend it to May 1.
But the suit filed Tuesday points to a 2015 Colorado Supreme Court case that went against Fort Collins’ moratorium on fracking and a Longmont moratorium, and said that local governments cannot regulate the oil and gas industry.
The 2015 case’s ruling said that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Act gives the state sole power to regulate oil and gas development and operations within the state.
In both rulings, the court said that even temporary moratoriums, which Boulder has argued its is, “deleteriously affects what is intended to be a state-wide program of regulation.”
In Tuesday’s filing, Coffman and the state ask for the court to declare that Boulder County’s moratorium is pre-empted by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Act, and also for it to put in place a permanent injunction that would keep the county and board from enforcing the moratorium. Coffman and the state also ask for court costs and other relief justifiable by the court.
Boulder County and state officials responded swiftly Tuesday afternoon.
“The Colorado Attorney General sent a special valentine to the oil and gas industry today against Boulder County for our working to safeguard our community from the industrial impacts of oil and gas development,” a news release from the county said.
But it maintains, as it did when Coffman first threatened to sue, that its moratorium is “of a materially shorter duration and is consistent with Colorado law.”
The county said its board of commissioners will meet as planned on March 14 and March 23 to review the county’s new oil and gas regulations for unincorporated parts of the county.
“It’s our right and our responsibility to protect our residents and to protect our world-class environment from the impact of oil and gas development, which is very industrial…” said Commissioner Elise Jones.
Five Democrats who represent areas of Boulder County in the state House lambasted Coffman’s suit, saying she was suing on the behalf of a private industry.
“The Attorney General has decided to wield the power of her office for the benefit of private companies at the expense of local communities,” said Majority Leader KC Becker, D-Boulder.
But Colorado Oil and Gas Association President and CEO Dan Haley told Denver7 that Boulder’s five-year old moratorium is illegal.
“We support the Attorney General’s decision,” he said. “For us, it’s very clear. It’s about the law. It’s not about fracking, It’s not about drilling. It’s not about pipelines. It’s about whether, or not, we have a rule of law in Colorado.”
Rep. Jared Polis, the Democrat who represents the 2nd Congressional District and is the Vice Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, slammed Coffman’s lawsuit Tuesday.
“We should all be outraged that the Colorado attorney general has chosen to use public tax dollars to bully Boulder County on behalf of the oil and gas industry,” Polis said in a statement. “The oil and gas industry is more than equipped to bring their own lawsuits, and I suspect they have opted not to sue Boulder County because they know Colorado law allows for a short term fracking moratorium. What the attorney general has done today is a purely political waste of money, and it is not legally sound.”
State Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, also criticized Coffman’s perceived ties with the oil and gas industry in a statement.
“This is disgraceful. After seeing the Attorney General’s and Oil and Gas industry’s press releases about the lawsuit sent out almost at the same time, I think it’s safe to assume the Attorney General is using the powers of her office and using tax dollars to intimidate and sue taxpayers at the behest of special interest industries,” he said. “The question I have for the Attorney General is this: how many oil and gas corporations did she consult with before sending out her threat letter to Boulder County on January 26?”
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Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner talks Flynn resignation, new administration, ‘paid’ protests in interview
DENVER – Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has been among the most-scrutinized politicians in Washington in recent months.
Gardner is a Republican in a state won by Hillary Clinton, but which has strong Republican and independent factions as well. But he has drawn the ire of many Coloradans after voting in favor of President Donald Trump’s nominees and measures every chance he’s had so far, and caused a stir with a comment about protesters at his offices in Colorado being paid.
Gardner on Tuesday sat for an interview with Denver7 to explain his voting record with the new administration, his thoughts on the protests and the fallout from National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation Monday night.
Watch the full interview in the player embedded below.
GARDNER ON FLYNN’S RESIGNATION
Gardner had not previously commented publicly on swirling allegations that Flynn had discussed sanctions on Russia with its ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak.
But on Tuesday, in the wake of Flynn’s Monday resignation, Gardner said it was right for Flynn to step aside.
“The right thing happened with General Flynn stepping down. That’s the right decision he made and right for the country,” Gardner said. “But I also think it’s important to recognize that the intelligence committee, which is already carrying out an investigation into Russian hacking and other activities with Russia, is going to be looking into the matter of General Flynn.”
He said that he would wait for the FBI to determine the route of any possible further investigations into Flynn. That came as several other high-ranking Republican Senate members called for an investigation into ties between Trump and Russia and called for Flynn to testify.
“Every administration has the ability, the right, to choose their personnel – particularly their national security adviser,” Gardner told Denver7. “I disagreed with the [national security adviser] from time to time under the last administration. But I think what we have to do is find out the facts here, learn from the FBI what exactly happened, and make our decisions going forward.”
GARDNER ON HIS CONFIRMATION VOTES
Gardner maintains that Democrats on the Hill are causing much of the political divide by objecting to and delaying some of the new administration’s confirmations.
“This is unprecedented levels of political obstruction in the Senate,” Gardner told Denver7. “So far, all that we’ve been allowed to do, thanks to unprecedented levels of obstruction, is try to do the basic job of filling out a cabinet for this president.”
And though several Senate committees delayed committee votes on some of the cabinet picks and Democrats used Senate rules to hold the floor for nearly 24 hours in an effort to vote down Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, the GOP line that there is “unprecedented obstruction,” which has also been used by many other Senate Republicans, does not completely hold water.
After Republicans won back the House and Senate, they in 2013 boycotted a committee vote on prospective EPA administrator Gina McCarthy and famously failed to meet with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland.
But all of President Trump’s nominees have so far been confirmed, and that is likely to continue since Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Gardner says he has a positive outlook on the administration’s future.
“Regardless of what party people are, regardless of whether they voted for President Trump or voted for Hillary Clinton, we would always do our best to make sure our days ahead of us are better than the ones we just went through,” he said.
GARDNER ON OPPOSITION
Thousands of people displeased with Gardner’s votes and alignment with President Trump have flooded his phone lines and email inboxes voicing their lack of satisfaction. They have also taken to his offices in Colorado to protest.
“I want to hear from you. I continue to encourage my constituents to reach out to me to share their opinions – whether through meetings, phone calls, email, or social media,” Gardner said in a statement to Denver7 Monday.
On Tuesday, he addressed the insinuation he made last month that some people protesting him and calling his office were paid protesters. He clarified that he believes there are organizations that are working to connect politically-active people across the country with various lawmakers in Washington, citing a conversation his wife had with one organization.
“We have a number of Coloradans – a large percentage, if not a huge percentage of the people calling our office who are Coloradans. [They are] people who are concerned about nominations, people who are concerned about the price of their health care,” Gardner said.
“But we do have people from out of state calling the office. In fact, just the other day, my wife was contacted by an organized survey effort. She answered the survey and was immediately connected to my very own office.”
“She was not paid to do that, but somebody was paid to make that connection happen not knowing that was my wife,” Gardner said.
He says he and his staff appreciate the input from his constituents, and points to his and other Republicans’ urging of Trump to impose a strict policy toward Russia and increase cybersecurity.
“I’ve always said we need more Colorado in Washington and less Washington in Colorado. When somebody reaches out to the office, I take every one of those concerns seriously,” Gardner said. “Somebody may want you to vote ‘yes;’ somebody may want you to vote ‘no;’ and obviously if you vote ‘yes’ when somebody wants you to vote ‘no,’ that means someone feels like their voice wasn’t heard. But the bottom line is every single one of their voices matter.”
Gardner will next be up for re-election in 2020.
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Despite circulating petitions, US Constitution does not allow for recall of members of Congress
DENVER – No, you cannot recall a U.S. Congressman.
Despite the handfuls of petitions circulating online for the recall of Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner over the past several weeks, the Constitution does not allow for the recall of any senator or representative.
Some Coloradans have been angry with Gardner over his support of some of the cabinet picks in the new Donald Trump administration, as well as his insinuation that some protesting his offices in recent weeks were paid to do so. Sixteen people were cited for their actions while protesting outside of his office in late January.
A handful of petitions on change.org and an editorial in the Boulder Daily Camera all called for constituents to recall the senator, and his office voicemails and email inboxes were flooded by tens of thousands of calls and letters.
But the U.S. Constitution allows for the removal of a senator or representative only by a two-thirds vote from either house, and usually only in the case of treason or a criminal conviction relating to that Congressperson’s official duties.
There was a provision considered while the Founding Fathers were writing the constitution in 1787 that would have allowed for the recall of members of Congress, but it was not included in the final version.
Some may have been confused, thinking that a Colorado law that allows for a petition to be agreed upon by a certain number of voters to recall a state senator or representative also applied to those elected to U.S. Congress.
But that petition process, which requires verified signatures from 25 percent of voters in the previous election, applies only to state officials.
Gardner will next be up for re-election in 2020; Colorado’s other senator, Democrat Michael Bennet, will be up for re-election in 2022, but has said he will likely retire. You can still reach them the old-fashioned way to voice your pleasure or lack thereof with their actions by writing them or calling their offices. The same goes for Colorado’s representatives in the House.
In the meantime, Gardner issued a statement to Denver7 Monday evening saying he welcomes continued efforts by constituents to reach him and his office:
“Like most Congressional offices, my office continues to receive a very high volume of phone calls and emails. Just this afternoon, the Senate Sergeant at Arms notified all senate offices that the Senate’s voicemail system was down for a significant period of time. This is unacceptable, and I know how frustrating it is. That is why I am working to find new and innovative ways for Coloradans to contact me directly. I want to hear from you. I continue to encourage my constituents to reach out to me to share their opinions – whether through meetings, phone calls, email, or social media.”
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Colorado Congressmen call for Flynn’s resignation if he misled administration over Russia call
UPDATE (9:15 p.m.): Gen. Michael Flynn resigned as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Monday night, saying he “inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.”
The full text of his resignation letter is embedded below, via TIME’s Zeke Miller: Continue reading
Bill that would repeal Colorado health insurance exchange clears first Senate committee
DENVER – The Colorado bill that would repeal the state health exchange that operates under the Affordable Care Act cleared its first hurdle Tuesday in a Senate committee.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 3-2 to pass Senate Bill 3 on a party-line vote. Democratic Sens. Lois Court and Lucia Guzman voted against passing the bill, while Republican Sens. Jack Tate, Owen Hill and Tim Neville voted to pass it.
The committee passage followed hours of discussion about the necessity of the bill while Congress is locked in a battle over whether or not to repeal, and possibly replace, the Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare,” on a national level.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jim Smallwood, argued Tuesday that the expenses of the state exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, outweigh its benefits and that several smaller Colorado counties are limited in their insurance options, according to The Associated Press.
Court argued that the state’s health insurance plans would have to be changed anyway should Congress be successful in repealing the ACA.
The bill would repeal the state exchange effective Jan. 1, 2018, though it would give lawmakers until the end of that year to “wind up” the exchange.
After that, the exchange would have to give any remaining money left over to the state treasurer, who would be directed to transfer the money to the state’s general fund.
Should it pass and be signed by the governor, however, a referendum petition could be filed to force a General Election vote on the matter in November 2018.
Smallwood told Denver7 last month that should his bill become law while the ACA is still in place that it would not affect people’s ability to get insurance on the federal marketplace.
“With my proposal, first of all we want people to know that by repealing the state exchange that in no way ends the ACA, it doesn’t end Obamacare in the state of Colorado,” he said at the time. “It allows our citizens to buy the same policies from the same insurance companies at the same rates, but on website healthcare.gov instead of connectforhealthco.com because healthcare.gov is being paid for with federal dollars because with connect for health we’re paying for it, again, with our state dollars.”
The bill heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for its next hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. It would then head to the Senate floor, if passed, where Republicans hold control.
But it would face a steep uphill climb from there in the House, where Democrats have control – most of whom have vocally opposed efforts to repeal the ACA.
Beyond that, Gov. John Hickenlooper supports the state exchange and has vowed to fight the repeal of the ACA. Should it be repealed, he said during his State of the State address that he would fight for a replacement plan “that protects the people who are covered now and doesn’t take us backward.”
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