October 01, 2006 10:20 PM UTC

Some Damage to Ritter Likely Over Latest Attack

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• by: Colorado Pols

Along with the Denver Post’s ringing endorsement of Democrat Bill Ritter for governor today, Post reporter Karen Crummy has a story detailing the latest charge from Republican Bob Beauprez’s campaign against Ritter’s record as Denver DA. It pertains to the plea-bargaining of certain criminal cases involving immigrants, both legal and illegal, down to offenses that would not require their deportation:

A review of 15 of the agricultural trespass cases in Denver showed that heroin and cocaine charges, theft of motor vehicles and domestic violence crimes – miles away from any farm or open land – were transformed into agricultural trespass…

Lynn Kimbrough, former spokeswoman for Ritter and current spokeswoman for Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, said pleas to agricultural trespass are intended to be used primarily in drug crimes for legal immigrants.

“Usually when there are proof problems in the case,” she said. “And because we have to balance our trial resources.”

…Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, who has hammered Ritter on plea- bargaining illegal immigrants in the past, continued to do so Friday.

“It appears that he intentionally used a loophole to avoid enforcing the law,” campaign manager John Marshall said.

The effectiveness of this line of attack will be determined by how clearly the public understands that the majority of cases dealt with legal immigrants, who generally elicit more sympathy than those in the country illegally. Also important to note is the apparent referral to federal immigration authorities of a number of these cases, referrals that for whatever reason weren’t acted on by the INS/CIS.

However it plays out, we are likely seeing the most serious attack that will be leveled against Ritter in this campaign.