August 11, 2015

Fellow Friends of PCRP:

Last night MSNBC on the Rachel Maddow show, chose to air the story of Cynthia
Coffman, myself and Tom Tancredo regarding potential prosecution by the US Attorney
General due to allegations of extortion and blackmail turned over by the sitting State
Chairman Steve House. Cynthia Coffman the highest Republican vote getter in our state
and a highly ethical person continues to have her reputation ruined along with my own
and Tom Tancredo a former United States Congressman. Since this story will not go
away and reputations continue to be smeared I have chosen to release the documents and
updates so Pueblo County membership can form their own conclusions about why we
chose to go to Steve House with our concerns.
Cynthia Coffman, Thomas Tancredo and I chose to go through the Ex Comm committee
to air our deep troubling concerns regarding Chairman House and his pattern of troubling
behaviors that we believed placed the state party at considerable risk from potential
concerns and risk of winning future elections (document enclosed). These concerns were
brought to us by concerned members who asked us to meet with him. After meeting with
Steve we were silent choosing to air our concerns to the Ex Comm and not go public.
This gave the Chairman the ability to control the narrative while we continued to try to
hold the high road by remaining silent. We felt at the time the Ex Comm would be fair in
the meeting and hear all sides of these very real threats to the party. We were sadly
mistaken, Ex Comm held a puppet court ( see document). It is time for Pueblo County
membership to have the factual information I have provided and the document Ex Comm
refused to even look at. Cynthia Coffman Tom Tancredo and I were deeply involved in
helping Steve House win his election, they both gave his nominating speeches, Ted
Harvey myself and Mike McAlpine were on Steves campaign team - meeting via phone
for over two months every morning at 7:30. I traveled the state meeting with fellow party
chairman to convince them a change in mission would be good for the party. There was
no upside Cynthia Tom or myself took nor joy going to Steve about our concerns, only
to try to try to set right the conduct members felt deeply troubling.
Also, I am very saddened to no longer be serving as your chairman and thank Victor
Head, Normagene Ricci, and Brian Mater for stepping forward in this very difficult job in
our county. I continue to pray the audit will disclose any financial variances and monies
that may be due and if so promptly returned. I will always be available to help in this
area. I wish Pueblo County Republicans as always the very best.
Sincerely,
Becky Mizel

StatementofFriendsandSupporterstoChairmanSteveHouse

June25,2015

ChairmanSteveHouse
ColoradoRepublicanParty

DearChairmanHouse:

Thecontroversyswirlingaroundyouandyourleadershipofthepartyistakingatollon
thepartyshealth.Withthegreatpotentialandchallengesaheadofusfor2016,we
mustfindaleaderwhocanregaintheconfidenceofthestakeholdersofthepartyand
repairthedamageyouhavecaused.Werequestthatyoutenderyourresignation
immediatelyforthereasonslistedbelow.

Partyfinances
Trustisessentialfordonorslargeandsmall.Thefollowingjeopardizesthetrustneeded
forsuccessfulandsustainedfundraising.
Youclaimtohaveinheritedover$300,000indebt,butsupportinginformationis
requiredoncampaignfinancereportsanddoesnotappearthere.
Mayexpendituresexceededdonationsby$21,974.Maydonationsdecreased
$28,464fromAprilsdonations.
Thebudget,whichwasdueJune15,hasnotbeenprovidedtotheExecutive
Committeeasrequiredbythebylaws.Adraftwaspresentedtothematthelast
meeting.Requiredquarterlyfinancialstatementshavenotbeenprovidedtothe
CentralCommittee.
Youwereinformedinwritingthatthe$100,000lineofcreditwitha$60,000draw
haddisappearedfromtheFECreports,thattherewerenopaymentslistedand
thatamendedreportsneededtobefiled.However,youdidnotseethatthey
were.
ThemostrecentFECreportlists$10,000paidtoAmericanExpress.The
individualchargesmustbelistedas"memoentries."Nomemoentrieswere
reported.

Lackofconsistencyandclarityincommunication
Thestatepartymustbeclearandconsistentinitspublicpolicypositions.Thechair
mustbehaveprofessionallyandnotundermineelectedRepublicans.Weareawareof
manysuchinstancesonyourwatchtoomanytorepeathere.Examplesinclude:

 Yougavemixed,confusing,andchangingstatementstolegislators,thegeneral
public,andthepressregardingapresidentialprimary.Thispubliclyembarrassed
Republicanlegislatorsandledtoascathing
DenverPost
oped.
AfteryourescindedyourintenttoresignonJune15,youissuedapressrelease
thatincluded:"IfIrefusedtomeettheirdemandtoresign,theythreatenedthat
falserumorsthatIhavebeenunfaithfultomywifewouldbemadepublic.The
ColoradoGOPissuedastatement,oneyoulaterparaphrased,thatsaid,These
falserumorsarecomingfromthesamepeoplewhocontinuallytrytobringdown
thepartyfortheirowngain,yearafteryear.Itisinconceivablethatastateparty
chairwouldrefertotheRepublicanAttorneyGeneralthatwayandattemptto
causeseveredamagetoherstellarreputation.
YourefusedtocallaspecialExecutiveCommitteemeetingforJune22,well
beforethisweekendwithallthenationalpressandattentionsurroundingthe
WCS.YoudidsoaftercommittingtoDouglasCountyChairJimPfaffthatyou
wouldandafterreceivingtherequisitesignatures.Defianceofthewishesofthe
membersrequestingaspecialmeetingisunacceptable.Theresulthasbeen
morediscordthanhadyoucalledthemeetingaspromised.Thoughthecallwas
late,youpossessedtheauthoritytowaivethedelay.
Wehaverecentlyheardthatyouclaimedtonationalmediathattherewasa
grievanceprocessthatshouldhavebeenutilized.Weareawareofnosuch
process.
Youhavemadecommitmentsbothforandagainstastrawpollthatwouldbind
Coloradosdelegation.Inemailyouhaveexpressedawillingnesstoholdcaucus
inFebruaryandreduceColoradosdelegationfrom34delegatesto9.

Donors,volunteers,appointees,andemployeeshavesharedmanyotherexamples.
Thesesamepeoplehaveexpressedfrustrationinyourrapidlychangingdirectionin
decisionsandcommunications,fromthemundanetoissuesofnationalsignificancelike
theprimarybill.Alossofconfidencehasensuedforthosewhoworkcloselywiththe
party.Thatlossofconfidencemustreverseundernewleadership.

Defamationofcharacterinyourofficialcapacity
Thestatepartychairmustbeabovegossipanddefamationofcharacter.Yetwehave
seenmanyinstancesincluding:
YoumadeirresponsiblefalseclaimsaboutTedHarveyspersonallifeand
financestomembersofthemediaandothersinthecontextofyourofficial
2

reasonsfornotofferingHarveyemployment.Youfabricatedandpromotedthe
notionthatHarveyspersonalcircumstancescouldleadhimtoembezzlefromthe
party.Noneofyourstatementsaretrue.
Youfalselyassertedanotherstatepartyofficerwouldberesigningsoonbecause
ofpersonalfinancialstressandallegedpendingbankruptcy.Spreadingsuch
informationaboutanotherpartyofficerisinexcusable.
Afterthemeetingwithyourformerkeysupporters,youcommunicatedto9News
thatnocriminalchargeswouldlikelybefiled.Thisincorrectlyimpliedthat
Coffman,Tancredo,andMizelhadbeeninvolvedinillegalacts.Yourthemesof
blackmailandextortionwerepickedupwidelyinthepresscausingunnecessary
harmtothepartyandrespectedmembers.Now,aformalrequestfor
investigationagainstthethreehasbeenmadewiththeDenverDistrictAttorney
asaresultofyourstatementsandactions.
ThroughColoradoGOPspokesmanOwenLoftus,youcommunicatedthat
attorneysforthepartyhadcontactedtheUSAttorneysofficeand,accordingto
KUSA9News,theDenverDistrictAttorney.Thispublicannouncementgavethe
impressionthatthereismerittothecriminalchargesyouhavebeenpromoting.
Atthattime,theDenverDistrictAttorneycategoricallydeniedthattheywere
contactedandtheU.S.AttorneysOfficehasstatedtheyarenotinvolvedinany
aspectofthis.Thiswasanattempttodefamethroughinnuendo.Youusedof
partyfundsandresourcestofurtheryourpersonalagendaandcausedsignificant
damagewithintheparty.
YoutoldmanypeoplethatbothTedHarveyandKimHerzfeldtthreatenedthe
AttorneyGeneral.AfriendcontactedtheAttorneyGeneralandwastoldthatwas
false.

Inalloftheseinstancesandothers,yourbehaviorexposesthepartytosubstantial
legalliability.Additionally,thestatepartycannottoleratethechairmanengagingin
characterdefamationofanypersonorusingpartyresourcesforapersonalagenda.

Personnel
NoonewishestosecondguessthehiringofTylerHartortheretentionofShanaKohn.
However,significantconcernshavebeenraisedbyyourhandlingofemployment
discussionswithotherindividuals.

 YoupromisedTedHarveytheExecutiveDirectorsjobinfrontofothers.Almost
immediatelyafteryourelectionwhenthisdecisionwasquestioned,youposted
onFacebookthatnoonehadbeenpromisedajob.
YoucontinuedtostringTedHarveyalongwithpromisesoftheExecutive
Directorsjobatalaterdate.
YoumischaracterizedthepositionoftheAttorneyGeneraltoexplainwhyyou
rescindedthejoboffertoTedHarvey.Whencalledonit,youresortedto
defamingHarvey.
YoualsohaverepresentedthatonJune15,Tancredo,Coffman,andMizel
demandedyouhireHarveyonthestatepartystaff.Thisisuntruethediscussion
ofHarveyconcernedtheslanderousstatementsyoumadeabouthim.
Youtoldatleast3membersofthetransitionteam,whoexpectedtobepaid,that
nopaywouldbeforthcomingbecauseoftheseriousnatureofthepartysdebt.
Youthenpaid2ofthe3.Notonlydidyoupay2ofthe3,butthiscontractlabor
wasnotdisclosedtotheExecutiveCommitteenordisclosedinthebudget.
Becauseofyourconflictingcommunications,thereisconfusionaboutwhoison
thestatepartypayroll,whomayhaveasidedeal,andwhomayspeakforthe
party.

Inalloftheaboveinstancesandothers,suchbehaviorexposesthepartytosubstantial
legalliability.Additionally,thepartycannottoleratethechairmanengagingincharacter
defamationofanyperson,particularlyinthecontextofemploymentdenial.

Untruthfulstatementsconcerningyourextramaritalaffairandunethicalreaction
toexposure
Everyonehasarighttoprivacyintheirpersonallife.Youmadeyourextramaritalliaison
withaColoradoSpringswomanthefodderforunseemlygossipandpublicscrutiny,
nowimplicatingthereputationoftheparty.Yourfalseandproactivedenialsoftheaffair
tothepressescalatedyourprivateunprofessionalandduplicitousbehaviortoapublic
levelandcreatedanunnecessaryspecterofscandalmarringthepartysreputation.
Yourinvolvementintheaffairhasnotbeendiscreetorseparatefromparty
business.Theaffairwasknowninwideenoughcirclestogenerateinquiriesand
investigationsfromthepress,includingatpoliticaleventswhereyouwere
representingtheparty.
Youdeniedanaffairwhichisunquestionablytrueandthesourceofdistractions
inyourofficialcapacity.
4

 Weunderstandthatatyourdirection,AdamsCountyViceChairJohnSampson
contactedthewomaninvolved.Shefollowedyourdemandthatshedenythe
affaironanaudiorecordingMr.Sampsonmade.Whenthechairmanengagesin
thislevelofduplicitousandunethicalbehavior,suchtacticsescalatethescandal
andincreasedamagetothepartysreputation.Itisimpossibletoseparateyour
privateactionsasanindividualandtheactionsyouweretakingtopurportedly
protectyourofficialposition.

Ongoingindiscretionsandliesaboutthoseindiscretionscanonlyresultinfurtherinjury
totheparty.Werefusetoknowinglyallowsuchindiscreetbehaviortobecome
ammunitionforouropponentsinthe2016elections.

Summary
Whilewecouldlistmanyadditionalseriouslydamagingexamplesandcomplaintsfrom
volunteersanddonors,theaboveexamplesalonearemorethanenoughtohave
shatteredourconfidenceinyourabilitytoleadthispartyincrucialyears.Thepartys
goalscannotbemetifourmembers,theCentralCommittee,theExecutiveCommittee,
andColoradovotershavelostconfidenceinourchairman.Wethereforeaskforyour
immediateresignation.Wewishtoavoidtheprocesstoinvoluntarilyremoveyoufrom
office,butwewillpursuethatifneeded.

Weregretthenecessitytotakethisaction.

Name
/s/ElaineBrofford

County
Denver

Title
PCP,DenverCountyvicechair,past
presidentDenverRepublicanWomen

cc:ExecComm
CountyChairs
ReincePriebus

Behind Closed Doors In the CO

GOP: From Bedrooms to
Boardrooms
Posted On Jul 20 2015
By : Kathryn Porter
5 Comments
Tag: Colorado Republican Party, Cynthia Coffman, Kathryn Porter,
Politichicks, Steve House, Tom Tancredo
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image: http://3ynk0w1orym5czc542xmo55k.wpengine.netdnacdn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/07/11403419_10153089859846848_651263486963
9185774_n.jpg

A sweltering boardroom with no air-conditioning, no cold water, and no

lunch during a six hour meeting. Witnesses waiting in a stuffy hallway for
hours without chairs, sitting on the floor. This is the scene of the June
26th meeting of the executive committee of the Colorado Republican
Party. The issues on the tableaccusations of blackmail, innuendo of a
federal investigation, allegations of sexual misconduct, broken promises,
and the character of state party Chair Steve House.
Does integrity matter? That question came to the forefront of Colorado
politics as the scandal-embroiled chair received a nod of confidence on a
22-1 vote. The executive committee affirmed the partys approval of
House and his ability to lead the state GOP despite the damage done to
the party under his watch.
House accused Cynthia Coffmanthe Republican state Attorney
Generalof blackmail after a June 15th meeting in which Coffman, former
US Congressman Tom Tancredo, and then Pueblo County Chair Becky
Mizel, confronted him on alleged slanderous statements made about
former state Senator Ted Harvey.
Coffman received the highest vote count of any Republican in her bid for
attorney general. She was one of Houses biggest supporters in his
campaign for chair and even gave his nominating speechwhich is why it
came as a surprise to many that she would seek his resignation.
House claimed the fateful meeting was over his refusal to hire Harvey, but
Coffman never wanted him on staff. Several insiders corroborated
Coffmans opposition to Harvey being employed by the state GOP.
According to Tancredo, the meeting addressed a litany of concerns
including the type of character assassination that could bring untold
financial liability to the party. Tancredo said that House slandered Harvey
in front of radio personnel and party leaders. The allegation: Statements
by House that he feared Harvey would embezzle money from the state
party due to Harveys impending divorce and bankruptcy proceedings.
But there was no divorce and no bankruptcy.
Houses alleged statements were filled with lies. There was no reason to
fear embezzlement.
Tancredo shared that after House laid false claims about Harvey, the
statements got back to Coffman. She called Harvey to check on him, only
to learn that House lied about Harvey getting a divorce and filing for
bankruptcyand that House communicating fear of embezzlement was
just a cover story to explain his breaking a campaign commitment to hire
Harvey. Coffman then confronted House about theses statements and
other issues at the June 15th meeting.
House said in a press release, If I refused to meet their demand to resign,

they threatened that a potential lawsuit may be filed and that false rumors
that I have been unfaithful to my wife would be made public. A woman
came forward shortly thereafter confessing to an adulterous relationship
with House.
At the partys June executive committee meeting less than two weeks
later, House backtracked his accusation of blackmail and instead said that
the trio were only giving him constructive criticism.
Prior to their vote of confidence, the executive committee held a vote to
not allow a secret ballot on Houses ability to lead the party. Inside
sources state that the committee voted 11-8 to hold an open vote
suggesting that if votes had been cast by secret ballot, they would have
reflected a more divided committee.
While the vote by the committee put on a public display of party unity,
Republicans in private conversations continue to ask questions indicating
a deep division. Do executive committee members really believe that
integrity doesnt matter? Or were they bamboozled by psychological
warfare style tactics in the boardroom?
Inside sources shared what appeared to be strategic maneuvers to
intimidate and wear down committee members. These are the conditions
the executive committee members set for the meeting:
No lunch break was scheduled.
No food or beverage was provided in the meeting which lasted more
than six hours.
Rather than making a motion to adjourn to a more conducive nearby
location given the temperature, committee members accepted the
brutal meeting conditions in a room with broken air conditioning.
No fans or cooling devices were brought into the meeting room. No cold
water was offered.
Committee members met without scheduled breaks to grab a drink from
the water fountain, use the restroom, or seek refuge in the outside
air. Any member who left the room risked missing important
information or the opportunity to vote on matters before the
committee.
In addition to the physical environmental challenges, an atmosphere of
intimidation may have also influenced the outcome:
One member of the committee reprimanded Mizel for attempting to
distribute a document outlining grievances of party members.
The committee decided not to review Mizels document that detailed
alleged poor decision making, a destructive management style, and
dishonest behavior.
A long debate occurred in which some committee members attempted

to deny anyone from speakingincluding an attempt to prevent the

state attorney general from being heard. The committee finally
voted that individuals could speak, but significantly restricted
information they would allow to be presented.
When the committee was ready to hear Tancredo, attempts to call him
were stonewalled by the acting chair.
image: http://3ynk0w1orym5czc542xmo55k.wpengine.netdnacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/COGOP.jpg

Meanwhile, people outside the meeting were treated to similar conditions.

In an exclusive interview with Politichicks, Coffman broke her silence and
exposed a stunning disregard for decorum in its treatment of both elected
officials and party activists by the executive committee. Inside sources
provided additional details, corroborating Coffmans account of events.
The attorney general arrived at the meeting at 10:00 AM. Coffman was
told that there might be a conference room on the second floor in which
the tenants might allow for her to use, but she declined. Coffman said that
she was hesitant to leave the immediate vicinity since no one had
announced when she would be called in to meet with the committee.
As Coffman waited to be called into the meeting, she sat on the floor in
the hallway on the third floor of the KeyBank building in Greenwood
Village. One of the committee members eventually offered the attorney
general a chair.
Coffman estimated that is it was in the high 70s to low 80s in the
hallwayothers in attendance described the temperature as sweltering.

She was told the air conditioning was out because of a lightning strike the
previous day. Executive committee members went in and out periodically
to use the restroom or get a drink.
It was sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 when people waiting in the
hallway were told they could come into the meeting room. Committee
members did not take a lunch break, but proceeded to discuss whether
the next phase of the meeting concerning the party chairmans leadership
would be held in an open session. After ten minutes, the committee voted
to again close its session.
Inside sources said that as people waited in the hallway in the afternoon,
the executive committee debated for almost two hours how the rest of the
meeting would be managed and whether Coffman should be allowed to
speak at all. One source stated that if not for Vice Chair Derrick Wilburn
speaking up in favor of allowing Coffman to speak, the attorney general
would have been denied the opportunity to address the committee.
The executive committee gave no notice as to who would be asked to
present information, when they would be called into the meeting, and how
long they would be given to address the committee. Coffman was not
given any indication of a time frame in which she would address the
group. She was called into the meeting at approximately 2:30after four
hours of waiting.
The committee limited Coffmans comments, halting her from presenting
her prepared remarks in their entirety. I was given five minutes to speak
and five minutes for questions, Coffman said. She confirmed that
Arapahoe County Chair Joy Hoffman acted as the meeting chair and laid
out the ground rules to her. Coffman shared that the executive committee
was interested only in what happened during the June 15th meetingand
nothing else.
I galloped through my prepared chronology of events but was not able to
finish in five minutes. I felt I had to leave out significant facts, Coffman
said.
In addition to the attempt to prevent the attorney general from speaking,
the committee was successful in stymying former US Congressman Tom
Tancredo and Pueblo County Chair Becky Mizel. When the group was
ready to call Tancredo, he was outside the building seeking refuge from
the sweat filled hallway. Sources state that Hoffman refused to allow
Tancredo to be called into the meeting by phone or text. Mizel was also
denied from distributing a statement of grievances to the committee,
outlining concerns she and others shared about Houses ability to
effectively lead the party.
Tancredo said that the meeting appeared to lack organization from the

beginning. He stated that he contacted executive committee members to

confirm whether or not he would be requested to speak at the meeting,
but received no solid answer. I wanted to know if I needed to be there.
Should I bother to come? Should I stay home?
Former state Senator Ted Harvey was also in attendance. Harvey said that
he had no prepared remarks and was only there to answer questions of
the executive committee. Harvey did not participate in the meeting.
Houses alleged mistress came to the meeting ready to speak, but was
denied the opportunity due to restrictions on the information allowed to be
presented.
After more than six hours, the meeting adjourned.
I do not feel I or any of my colleagues were treated respectfully that day. I
am not sure there is another of my AG colleagues in the country who
would have waited under the same circumstances. I will simply say the
excom appeared to be unsure of its authority, process, or
purpose, Coffman said.
The House scandal continues to hold momentum in Republican circles as
grassroots activists decry the lack of information that came out of the
executive committee meeting. There has been talk about petitioning the
issue before the GOPs State Central Committee which would be public
and open to the press. As of yet, a petition has not been circulated.
Committee member Sue Moorethe Denver County Chair elected in the
February liberty wavewrote, All I will say is that procedures were
agreed upon and were followed. We tried to make it as fair as possible to
all parties involved and latitude was given to both Cynthia and Becky.
Moore refused to answer simple questions on the meeting format and
seating arrangements.
Former Vice Chair Mark Baisley was asked if he felt it was appropriate to
give the attorney general only five minutes to speak and five minutes for
question and answer time. No, Baisley replied.
Committee member Isaiah Hess was questioned by several activists at
recent Republican meet-up about his vote of confidence in Steve House.
Hess said that given the information presented, he felt there was not
enough evidence to warrant a finding that House was incompetent of
fulfilling his duties as state chair. Hess was joined by all but one executive
committee member in giving a thumbs up to House.
Republican activists described the liberty members of the committee as
meek followers without the backbone to challenge tactics that were
utilized to guide the meeting to an outcome in support of House.
Mizel cast the lone dissenting vote of no confidence in House.
Did the executive committees vote of confidence send an unintended

message that it is permissible in the GOP to spread lies about elected

officials? Is it acceptable to malign reputations through false claims of
blackmailonly to flip-flop in the name of party unity?
The following executive committee members gave House their nod of
approval:
House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso
Senate Majority Leader Bill Cadman
CRC Vice-Chair Derrick Wilburn
CRC Secretary Brandi Meek
National Committeeman Mike Kopp
National Committeewoman Lilly Nunez
CD1 Leo Jankowski
CD2 Derec Shuler
CD3 Kraig Andrews
CD4 Jeremy Weathers
CD5 Isaiah Hess
CD6 Bob Miles
CD7 Daniel Garcia
Small County: Dick Elsner (Park County)
Small County: Richard Drake (Saguache County)
Small Appointment: Rick Fernandez (Broomfield County)
Small Appointment: Janell Reid (Crowley County)
Large County: Jeff Hays (El Paso County)
Large Appointment:Sue Moore (Denver County)
Large Appointment: Jim Pfaff (Douglas County)
At Large Appointment: Solomon Martinez (Larimer County)
At Large Appointment: Sandi Foote (El Paso County)
Read more at http://politichicks.com/2015/07/behind-closed-doors-inthe-co-gop-from-bedrooms-to-boardrooms/

Tuesday, A ugust 1 1, 2 015 at 8 :09:13 PM M ountain Daylight Time

Subject: FW: Pueblo GOP--Why Steve House cannot succeed as Chair in 2016
Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 8:08:15 PM Mountain Daylight Time
From:

Marilyn Marks

From: Marilyn Marks <marilyn@aspenoce.com>

Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 3:02 PM
To: Marilyn Marks <marilyn@aspenoce.com>
Subject: FW: Pueblo GOP--Why Steve House cannot succeed as Chair in 2016

This is recent information and my perspective offered for your meeting tonight.
Please pass along to other interested Pueblo GOP members.

Steve House Cannot Succeed as Party Chair

Information continues to come to the surface to demonstrate why Steve House
should not be Chair of the State Party.
Steve Houses false allegations aired on Rachel Maddow Show last night
Last night the MSNBC Maddow Show used Steve Houses allegations of
blackmail and extortion against Attorney General Coffman to damage her
reputation. In a segment focused on Attorneys General in the US being indicted
and accused of serious crimes, Houses allegations against Coffman were
featured. The program stated that several days after the well-publicized
allegation, House withdrew the charge, but noted that it may never be known
what really happened. The program left the national audience with the sense that
Coffman is included with a group of criminal AGs. (Watch homemade video
clip here.)
The Executive Committee did not censure House or repudiate the actions of the
State Party in attempting to have Coffman, Tancredo and Mizel prosecuted for
alleged crimes that House fabricated. Instead they praised his leadership with a
22-1 vote of condence. Fabricating false allegations of crimes against others
and seeking prosecution should be enough to require the resignation of the
dishonest accuser. The fact that the unwarranted prosecution for fabricated
crimes was attempted against our Attorney General, our former Congressman
and a county party leader is even more egregious. No principled leader and no
respectable party would participate in such an unethical action.
Page 1 of 4

After the three leaders met privately with House to cover a wide variety of
concerns, also bringing up his affair (that was beginning to draw the attention of
the press and donors), House showed his complete lack of ethics. House accused
the three of criminal actions amounting to extortion and blackmail. He used
high-priced party attorneys with high level connections into the US Attorneys
ofce to seek retribution on behalf of the party in the form of felony
prosecution of the three for crimes that he now admits were not committed. He
engaged another party ofcer to secretly record his mistress obeying Houses
instructions to deny the affair. Phone records show House called and texted her
many times after the Coffman meeting and before the denial recording was
completed.
Apparently in order to further intimidate the three leaders, the party falsely
claimed that it had also contacted the Denver DA to seek an investigation of the
three for criminal behavior, and the Denver DAs ofce was quick to refute that
lie by the party spokesman. Liberal activist group ProgressNow then led a
complaint to seek investigation and prosecution.
The false allegations have resulted in dozens of news stories damaging to
Coffman, the highest Republican vote-getter in the state, and had a major role in
contributing to Becky Mizels resignation as Pueblo County Chair. Houses
irresponsible and reckless actions have already had serious negative impacts on
the party, yet the Executive Committee supported his actions in what the press
repeatedly called a blackmail scandal, They did not repudiate the state partys
actions in contacting prosecutors.
After receiving the support of the Executive Committee meeting June 26, House
quietly walked back his allegation and said that he had never felt that there was a
blackmail attempt. Yet House and the Executive Committee have offered no
apologies, no attempt to help clear the three leaders names, or shown the
slightest concern for the damage they did. Did House have the party attorneys
formally retract the false allegations to prosecutors, or does the US Attorneys
ofce still consider this a standing allegation of felonies?
How can members of the party support Houses behavior or actions of the
ExComm in approval of actions that purposely damage its respected leaders?
How can his illegal act of fabricating crimes be essentially ratied by the
Executive Committee?
House has shown this to be his pattern of behavior. He fabricated damaging lies
Page 2 of 4

to defame former Senator Ted Harvey, when House chose to break his
commitment to hire Harvey as the partys Executive Director. After having
Harvey work without pay for weeks at the party headquarters, House reneged on
the commitment to a employment contract, and then House excused his change
of heart by falsely claiming that Harvey was an embezzlement risk because of
his imaginary pending bankruptcy and divorce. House even taken such claims to
the media. (None of these claims are true, but are ctitious excuses for Houses
reneging on the agreement with Harvey.)
House had simultaneously and egregiously fabricated rumors that Vice-Chair
Derrick Wilburn would soon resign because of pending personal bankruptcy.
(Again false claims invented out of thin air.)
It is clear that anyone who may be a threat to Houses continuing circle of lies is
at risk of drawing deceitful claims intended to discredit and damage them.
Although the party Executive Committee was informed of these incidences, they
stated their strong support for Houses management of the party.
What should a 2016 candidate expect from House? Particularly one in a primary
where House may like their opponent? Will an disfavored candidate be
subjected to defamation by his own party chair, the way the House defamed,
Harvey, Willburn, Coffman, Tancredo and Mizel?
Deceiving the Donors

Todays News in Politchicks blog--

CO GOP Hides Debt From Donors; Admits to Dire Financial Straits

Please read the linked article. My take on it is this--In a shocking display of reckless disregard for campaign nance laws, bank
covenants and nancial transparency, House admits to purposely failing to
disclose the debt and other nancial liabilities of the party. He claims in
correspondence that he did not want donors to know of thedire nancial straits
of the party at the end of the rst quarter and therefore did not disclose the
liabilities. He really believes that the feds given a time out from proper
nancial reporting for new CEOs to get out of embarrassing disclosure
He claims that the party does not have to adhere to any nancial reporting
standards in producing the required nancial statements for the Central
Committee members, and produced nonsensical gures for distribution to them.
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He claims that no standard accounting practices are required for keeping the
party books, despite the bank loan that requires them. House writes in emails
that the accounting system is broken, and that material adjustments will be
made to the nancials after we get through the August Executive Committee
meeting. (Go to Facebook page Colorado GOP Watchfor documentation of
correspondence.)
In short, the nancial reporting sounds woefully improper and decient, and the
ExComm and donors have little idea of the nancial condition or activities of the
party. Required audits have not been completed. House promised thorough
audits during his campaign and shortly after he was elected, but decided not to
have them conducted. House ran on a platform of nancial transparency and
accountability, but has shown nothing but disdain for nancial reporting
requirements and inquiries from members.
Either of the two areas of concern above are enough to force the resignation of
most organizations leaders, but the State Republican Party appears to have
lower standards than most. A perusal of some of the other major concerns that
were rejected by the Executive Committee from their review should also raise
serious concerns about Steve Houses tness for leading the party.
Pueblo members, please ask House for his explanations tonight.
Marilyn Marks

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