October 04, 2006 08:28 PM UTC

Subpoenas Issued Against Trailhead, Others

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• by: Colorado Pols

From the Rocky Mountain News:

A Democratic activist served subpoenas Tuesday against gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez’s campaign, a political group, a political consulting firm and the state Republican Party in his bid to prove illegal campaign coordination between the political allies.

The subpoenas – approved by an administrative law judge – stem from a Sept. 15 complaint filed with the Secretary of State’s office by Boulder activist Aaron Fink accusing Beauprez, the Colorado Republican Committee and the Trailhead Group of violating campaign finance laws…

…The stakes in the legal battle could be high. Trailhead was founded in 2005 by powerful Republicans – Gov. Bill Owens, Bruce Benson and Pete Coors – to counter 527-group spending by four wealthy Democrats in 2004.

If Fink succeeds in convincing a judge that Trailhead violated the coordination ban, the group and potentially its contributors could face civil penalties from two to five times the amount of contributions received. [emphasis added]

The complaint accuses Trailhead of illegally collaborating with the state Republican party, the campaigns of Beauprez and Mark Hillman, a Republican candidate for state treasurer.