Complaint over travel moves forward

Colorado’s ethics watchdog committee unanimously voted Monday not to dismiss a complaint that alleges former Gov. John Hickenlooper accepted free jet rides in violation of state rules.

That means the five-member committee will move forward with an investigation into several trips Hickenlooper — a possible 2020 presidential candidate — took during his last year in office.

The trips include one to Texas to officiate the wedding of Kimbal Musk, brother of Elon Musk, the CEO of the electric car company Tesla. Another trip under review was to Italy for the Bilderberg Meetings, a gathering of corporate and political leaders from around the world.

Hickenlooper has denied the al-

legations, claiming he either paid for the flights himself or the travel was not germane to his role in shaping state policy. At its last meeting, the ethics committee agreed to narrow the complaint to a handful of trips.

Hickenlooper, who left office last month after completing two terms, is among dozens of Democrats considering a run for the party’s presidential nomination. The former governor is scheduled to appear in New Hampshire, the first primary state, later this week.

Hickenlooper has said he plans to make a final call on whether to enter the race by March. Monday’s decision means the ethics complaint likely won’t be resolved by then, as the commission typically takes months to conclude investigations.

The timing of the investigation is not ideal, said University of Denver political science professor Seth Masket. The investigation complicates Hickenlooper’s message as a pragmatic Western governor, which is supposed to be the antithesis to a scandal-ridden Washington, D.C., he said.

“If nothing else, it complicates the rollout,” he said. “It’s not necessarily fatal to a campaign, but it forces him to come out almost immediately on the defensive.”

What’s more, Hickenlooper likely can’t wait out the investigation and delay entering the primary, Masket said.

Former Vice President “Joe Biden can afford to wait a little bit if he needs to. Hickenlooper doesn’t have that kind of a window,” Masket said. “In some ways, it’s to his benefit to have a low-grade investigation that wraps up relatively quickly and doesn’t develop a life of its own.”

The complaint was originally filed last year by Hickenlooper’s one-time political rival, former Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty. It alleged Hickenlooper violated the state’s gift ban with trips he took throughout his two terms. Due to the statute of limitations, the commission can only investigate trips Hickenlooper took during 2018.

Dino Ioannides, the commission’s executive director, said his investigation has already started.

“Both parties are cooperating, and I imagine we’ll start getting more information this week or later this week,” Ioannides said.

Mark Grueskin of Recht Kornfeld in Denver, Hickenlooper’s lawyer, said he wasn’t surprised by the commission’s decision. However, he maintained that it wasn’t the right one.

“The complaint has very little to do with state policy. … The factual and legal jumps there would make Evil Knievel worried,” said Grueskin, referring to the trip Hickenlooper took to officiate Kimbal Musk’s marriage.

McNulty, on the other hand, hailed the decision to move forward.

“I am pleased that the ethics commission continues to recognize the need to investigate Hickenlooper’s illegal activities,” he said. “Jet-set John will learn he’s not above the law and must follow the rules just like everyone else.”