January 21, 2026 11:01 AM UTC

Axios Claims Exclusive Story that Colorado Pols Reported a Month Ago

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• by: Colorado Pols

Axios Denver really likes to point out whenever they have an “exclusive” story…even when they don’t.

On Tuesday, Axios Denver led its newsletter with this announcement:

In the story that follows, Axios Denver takes great pride in touting its journamalism:

The Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corp. is planning to file an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

A copy of the draft brief, obtained by Axios Denver, [Pols emphasis] backs the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s lawsuit challenging the decision to move Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.

It argues that Weiser’s lawsuit risks politicizing national security and weakening the city’s standing with federal defense leaders.

The Colorado Springs City Council and the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners are formally endorsing the filing through their own resolutions, per documents shared with Axios Denver. [Pols emphasis]

Neat! Except that Colorado Pols reported on this very story nearly a month ago.

Here’s what Axios Denver published on January 20, 2026:

The draft brief contends that military basing decisions are the president’s call and warns that allowing states to sue over decisions “specifically vested in the president” is a disservice to the communities and service members caught in the crosshairs.

It calls Colorado’s lawsuit part of a “wasteful trend” of governments suing each other — and cautions that courtroom fights risk damaging the city’s credibility as a “constructive, respected, and reliable” U.S. defense partner.

Sounds familiar! Here’s what Colorado Pols published on December 23, 2025, including a screenshot from the very same amicus brief that Axios claims to have “exclusively” received in recent days:

Another elected body in Colorado Springs has entered the fight against Colorado Springs. Last week El Paso County Commissioners joined an amicus brief filed by the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corporation that is more than just opposing Weiser’s lawsuit — the brief actually SUPPORTS the Trump administration’s legal arguments that it should be allowed to screw over another state out of spite. The rationale from El Paso County is beyond ridiculous:

We don’t like political lawsuits filed by one government against another…so here’s a political lawsuit filed by one government against another!

The Colorado Springs Gazette also reported on this amicus brief — yesterday — but at least it didn’t pretend to have figured it out all on its own.

Our original story was published two days before Christmas, so it’s certainly reasonable that this news was missed in the excitement of the holiday season. And while we’ve been doing this long enough that we don’t expect to be credited with being first on a story, the rush to claim “exclusive” is more than a little ridiculous.

Since 2004, Colorado Pols readers have known where to look for a head start on political news in this state. That won’t change in 2026.