Colorado

Impeachment effort launched by Colorado House Republicans against secretary of state • Colorado Newsline

Published

9 months ago

March 7, 2024

Impeachment effort launched by Colorado House Republicans against secretary of state • Colorado Newsline

Republicans in the Colorado House of Representatives are seeking to impeach the Democratic secretary of state, who they say can’t be trusted to run fair elections.

Spearheaded by the top Republican in the Democrat-majority chamber, Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, and Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud, the effort has the backing of 17 of the 19 House Republicans.

“Since being elected, the Secretary of State has used her position as a platform for her partisan political ideology and has proven herself unfit for this elected position,” the group of Republicans wrote in a letter Wednesday to Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, about Secretary Jena Griswold.

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The letter indicates that Pugliese and Armagost submitted an impeachment resolution Feb. 8, and it requests that McCluskie bring the resolution to the House floor for consideration.

“The Colorado Republican Party continues to focus on conspiracies and political games,” Griswold said in an email. “I will not be intimidated by this baseless proceeding. While the Republican House Caucus wastes taxpayer dollars to score cheap political points, you can find me working for Colorado voters – Republican, Democratic, and Unaffiliated alike – to ensure they can make their voices heard in free and fair elections.”

Armagost and Pugliese started working on the resolution in January after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump, due to his actions in relation to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, should be barred from the Colorado presidential primary ballot. The ruling was part of a lawsuit in which six Colorado voters sued Griswold in an effort to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits a person who “engaged in insurrection” after taking an oath to support the Constitution from holding office again.

The Colorado ruling was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.

This resolution is an unwarranted waste of time, and I’m disappointed to see House Republicans bow to the most extreme fringes of their party simply because the Secretary of State did her job.

– Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie

As a defendant in the case, Griswold took a neutral position in the proceedings. But she has been a vocal Trump critic, and she expressed approval when the state Supreme Court barred Trump.

“Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and was disqualified under the Constitution from the Colorado Ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court got it right,” Griswold said in a statement after the December ruling.

“Having the bias and doing what she’s doing to remove a candidate from the ballot, based on personal feelings and accusations, is dangerous,” Armagost said Thursday in an interview. “If she has personal feelings against me, she could do the same to me and say that I did this or that and ask that I get removed from the primary ballot … So this is simply just to say, you can’t do that with your position.”

Armagost said he doubts Griswold has ever run free and fair elections since she first took office after being elected in 2018.

“And I think there’s a fair amount of voters that don’t think so, based on my constituents that reach out to me,” Armagost said. “I think this was a perfect example of how she chooses to run elections, and it’s not free, fair, balanced or transparent at all.”

The impeachment resolution had yet to be introduced by the time of publication. Armagost said he expected the measure to be introduced Thursday.

“This resolution is an unwarranted waste of time, and I’m disappointed to see House Republicans bow to the most extreme fringes of their party simply because the Secretary of State did her job,” McCluskie said in a statement. “Donald Trump is the problem, not the secretary. But instead of dealing with MAGA extremists in their ranks, they’re defending Trump, and attacking his opponents.”

According to the Colorado Constitution, statewide officers can be impeached for “high crimes or misdemeanors or malfeasance in office.” The state House can impeach by majority vote, and the state Senate has the power to convict with a two-thirds majority.

Armagost acknowledged that since Democrats enjoy strong majorities in both chambers, the resolution has little chance of passing.

“Any debate that we really do here is wildly outnumbered. We get bulldozed,” he said. “The only thing we can do is make noise as the super minority.”

Griswold won reelection in 2022, when she defeated her Republican challenger by 12 points. She is chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State and is often said to have overseen a “gold standard” election system.

The letter from Colorado House Republicans follows a Monday letter from U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Windsor and the Colorado Republican Party that threatens a recall effort against Griswold.

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Law enforcement investigate possible

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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Law enforcement investigate possible “crime tourism” in Colorado – CBS Colorado

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A recent attempted burglary of an Aspen jewelry store has now drawn the attention of the FBI, as it appears to be a case of “crime tourism” or “burglary tourism.”

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Colorado

Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Published

15 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter said Thursday he plans to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.

“That’s definitely for sure,” Hunter, 21, told reporters when asked if he intended to declare.

A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Hunter plays both cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes. He is projected by many to be selected first overall next April.

When asked about playing both offense and defense as a professional, Hunter acknowledged the rarity of doing both, saying, “It’s never been done.”

He added: “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.”

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In 10 games for Colorado this season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns — all career bests. Defensively, Hunter has three interceptions, eight passes defended and 23 tackles.

Hunter was a highly recruited player coming out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State — becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU.

Hunter played for one season at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, then transferred to Colorado before the 2023 season when Sanders took the head coaching job there.

Last season, Hunter averaged close to 115 plays per game, participating in offense, defense and special teams.

Sanders’s son Shedeur, who plays quarterback for Colorado, is projected to be among the first signal-callers selected in next year’s draft. Another player who could be a Heisman finalist, Sanders said Thursday that Hunter is the more deserving of the two to win the award.

“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”

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Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Published

23 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (10-9-0) @ Washington Capitals (13-4-1)

5 p.m. MT | Capital One Arena | Watch: Altitude, 9News, My20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time in six days the Colorado Avalanche will faceoff against the Washington Capitals. Colorado will battle to split the season series after a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena on November 15.

Soaring Past the Flyers

The Avalanche beat the Flyers 3-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Cale Makar posted his 10th-career multi-goal game and Casey Mittlestadt added a goal. Additionally, Mikko Rantanen recorded two assists and Justus Annunen made 24 saves. Following a scoreless first period, Makar opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:30 of the second period after receiving Nathan MacKinnon’s set-up feed. Makar thought he had his second of the game at 10:44 of the middle frame, but the goal was taken off the board due to a successful Flyers challenge for goaltender interference. However, Makar would eventually double Colorado’s lead on the power play with his eighth tally of the season at 15:08 of the middle frame with a shot from the point that deflected off a Flyers player on its way in. The Burgundy and Blue took a 3-0 lead at 8:34 of the third period when Mittelstadt dispatched the rebound created by Rantanen’s shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Flyers answered with goals from Owen Tippett at 11:48 and Tyson Foerster at 13:32 to cut their deficit to one, but the Avs held on to secure their 10th victory of the season.

Leading the Way

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (27).

Makar leads NHL blueliners in goals (8), assists (19), and points (27). He’s tied for seventh among NHL skaters in points and tied for fifth in assists.

Rantanen is tied for sixth in the league in goals (12) and tied for seventh in points (27).

History

The Avalanche are 18-20-4 in 42 previous regular-season games against the Capitals. Colorado is 4-1-0 in its last five matchups against Washington dating back to the 2022-23 season.

Winning Out West

The Capitals beat the Utah Hockey Club 6-2 at the Delta Center on Monday. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Utah opened the scoring with a goal by Jack McBain at 3:05 of the first period but the Capitals responded with tallies from Dylan Strome at 7:46, Nic Dowd at 7:56, and Ovechkin at 11:05. Ovechkin extended Washington’s lead to three with a goal at 5:38 of the second period before Nick Bjugstad scored for Utah at 11:44 to make it 4-2 in favor of Washington entering the third period. Ovechkin did leave the game midway through the third period with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve and ruled week-to-week. The Caps added two more goals in the third period from Brandon Duhaime at 7:30 and Aliaksei Protas at 9:56 to win 6-2.

Putting Up Numbers on the Potomac

MacKinnon has posted 28 points (11g/17a) in 20-career matchups against the Capitals including 11 points (5g/6a) in 10 road matchups against them.

In eight previous meetings with Washington, Makar has recorded six points (2g/4a).

Rantanen has registered 19 points (8g/11a) in 14 previous games against Washington including eight points (4g/4a) on the road.

Capitals’ Contributors

Strome leads the Capitals in points (28) and assists (22).

Connor McMichael is second on the team in goals (12) and third in points (19).

Aliaksei Protas is fourth on the team in points (18), third in goals (7), and tied for third in assists (11).

A Numbers Game

10

Makar became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 10 multi-goal games.

3

The Avalanche have three players (MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen) in the top 10 in points. No other team has more than one.

165

The Avs have registered 165 high-danger shots on goal, which ranks sixth in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Juice is great. I think he’s been great all year. [He made] some big saves, especially at the beginning there…So [it was a] heck of a job from Juice for sure.”

— Casey Mittelstadt on Justus Annunen’s performance on Monday

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