August 24, 2006 07:37 PM UTC

Not Politics? Not Likely

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

Republican Secretary of State Gigi Dennis is having a hard time defending her claims that new campaign rules her office created are not politically motivated. As The Denver Post reports:

Republican Secretary of State Gigi Dennis made controversial changes to Colorado campaign-finance rules after requests from lawyers who work for the state GOP, gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez and a powerful Republican political committee, records show.

The attorneys filed documents with Dennis’ office in February requesting limitations on the campaign activities of some traditionally Democratic groups, such as unions and small-donor committees.

Here’s the kicker: Scott Gessler, an attorney for Republican Bob Beauprez, admitted that politics played a role in the new rules. “It was not my sole motivating factor to help Bob Beauprez, but was I conscious of it? Yes,” he told the Post. “The rules are riddled with exceptions that help out Democratic constituencies.”