{"id":42581,"date":"2022-01-20T13:29:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T20:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ethics-complaint-alleges-tina-peters-legal-defense-fund-lacks-transparency\/"},"modified":"2022-01-20T20:29:26","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T20:29:26","slug":"ethics-complaint-alleges-tina-peters-legal-defense-fund-lacks-transparency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ethics-complaint-alleges-tina-peters-legal-defense-fund-lacks-transparency\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethics complaint alleges Tina Peters\u2019 legal defense fund lacks transparency"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Mesa
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters reads an update during an election June 30, 2020 in Grand Junction. (McKenzie Lange\/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel via AP, file)<\/span>onset<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters will have 30 days to respond to a second ethics complaint<\/a> filed with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission, which on Tuesday determined the complaint to be \u201cnon-frivolous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters is already under local, state and federal investigations for alleged criminal misconduct regarding election security breaches in Mesa County. Officials announced Jan. 13 that a grand jury will also investigate<\/a> allegations that Peters tampered with Mesa County election equipment.<\/p>\n

\"Nova
Nova Tucker, a supporter of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, sells T-shirts and collects donations for Peters\u2019 legal defense fund during a Dec. 1, 2021, rally at the Mesa County Old Courthouse in Grand Junction in support of Peters and Garfield County resident Sherronna Bishop. (Sharon Sullivan for Colorado Newsline)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

To help with her legal woes, Peters for the past several months has been soliciting donations at various rallies and on her website, standwithtina.org. The new ethics complaint, filed by Grand Junction resident and political blogger Anne Landman, includes a video link of Peters asking for donations at an event held in September at Appleton Christian Church in Grand Junction after Peters\u2019 return to the city after hiding for several weeks from state authorities.<\/p>\n

Landman alleges in the complaint that Peters has been illegally accepting donations as an elected official. The complaint says Peters is violating Colorado Constitution rules regarding conduct of public officials.<\/p>\n

Peters\u2019 website asking for money describes Peters as \u201cthe courageous County Clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, in charge of the county elections,\u201d which makes it clear she is soliciting funds in her capacity as an elected official \u2013 as opposed to as a private individual, Landman said.<\/p>\n

While the IEC allows officials to solicit donations to help cover costs associated with criminal charges (Peters has yet to be charged), it also requires that the names of donors and the amount of money collected be reported to the state \u2013 which Peters has not done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole point of the Fair Campaign Practices Act is transparency \u2013 which I thought Tina was all for,\u201d said former Mesa County Clerk Sheila Reiner, who\u2019s currently the Mesa County treasurer and public trustee. \u201cI have always taken the filing requirements for my candidacy seriously. If the secretary of state doesn\u2019t follow up, then I think we will see other candidates believe that they don\u2019t have to heed the laws and regulations either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters lawyer Gessler had similar ethics complaint<\/div>\n

In September, Colorado Politics reported<\/a> that Peters\u2019 legal defense fund could violate Colorado\u2019s ethics rules, according to former IEC executive director and Denver attorney Jane Feldman who said: \u201cThe donations must be publicly disclosed, and must be administered by someone not directly affiliated with the clerk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, no donations may be accepted if the donor is a lobbyist,\u201d Feldman told Colorado Politics. \u201cThe solicitation on her website contain none of those conditions, and therefore may cause violations of the gift ban.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feldman was IEC executive director in 2013 when the commission issued a response to then-Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler\u2019s request for IEC guidance about how he could legally set up a criminal defense fund for an issue he was facing. Gessler is currently Peters\u2019 attorney.<\/p>\n

\u201cScott Gessler himself had a complaint against him for expenditures deemed unethical,\u201d Landman said. \u201cHe asked IEC for guidance. He should know. He should be advising her. He was in the same position as Tina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landman filed her first ethics complaint<\/a> against Peters in September. That complaint alleged Peters improperly accepted financial compensation or gifts in excess of what\u2019s allowed under the Colorado Constitution.<\/p>\n

Conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow and a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, reportedly flew Peters to South Dakota for a \u201ccyber symposium\u201d and paid for hotels and meals during the weeks that Peters was in hiding. Lindell has spoken about his financial assistance to Peters, on a YouTube video and to The Washington Post<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The IEC and Peters will meet in February about the ethics complaint filed in September.<\/p>\n

Peters has asked counsel to stay proceedings before the commission, said IEC Executive Director Dino Ioannides.<\/p>\n

Peters has 30 days to respond to the new complaint, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a response, or nonresponse, the commission will instruct me whether to commence an investigation,\u201d followed by a report and then a hearing, where both parties present their case before the commission, he said.<\/p>\n

Peters did not respond for comment in time for this story.<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Colorado Newsline, visit www.coloradonewsline.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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