October 22, 2008 06:52 PM UTC

Musgrave's Scandalmongering Repaid With Interest

• 5 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post reports:

A 4th Congressional District resident is asking the U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate Republican Marilyn Musgrave and her campaign ads targeting Democratic opponent Betsy Markey.

The complaint by Michelle Grooms alleges Musgrave filed a complaint against Markey “solely to fabricate criminal wrongdoing by Ms. Markey that could be used in a political attack ad against her.”

A complaint by 4th District GOP chairman Ronald Buxman was filed against Markey on Oct. 4, claiming that Markey violated federal law by not divesting her interest in her company while pursuing contracts for her company and working for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar.

Buxman said Musgrave’s congressional campaign helped him prepare the complaint, Grooms said.

After the complaint was filed, a Musgrave television ad cited its allegations as proof Markey got caught violating federal law…

And in today’s Greeley Tribune:

A Fort Collins Republican [Pols emphasis] on Tuesday filed letters asking for an investigation into the actions of the state Republican chairman for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave in response to a proposed investigation of Betsy Markey.

Chairman Ron Buxman weeks ago sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice alleging that Markey violated federal law in contracts her company received while she was a staffer for Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo…

Progress Now Action group Executive Director Mike Huttner said Tuesday that his group helped Republican Michelle Grooms file and prepare the letters.

The letter asking for an investigation into Musgrave’s actions was sent to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. It alleges Musgrave violated House rules by engaging “in a pattern of insidious campaign activities that do not reflect credibly on the House.”

Musgrave’s own allegations against Markey are “one of the most unethical and arguably illegal tactics we’ve seen in this election cycle,” Huttner said.

Jason Thielman, campaign spokesman for Musgrave, said the letter Progress Now Action group helped with is different from those Musgrave’s campaign has filed because Musgrave’s campaign has “empirical evidence” of wrongdoing by Markey…

Well, that ought to squelch that. The words “Betsy Markey faces criminal investigation” aren’t nearly as impactful when rejoined by the words “so does Marilyn Musgrave.”

We also note that this complaint doesn’t address any of the new allegations recently brought to light about the White House’s illegal campaign efforts on Musgrave’s behalf, just the recent attacks on Markey.

There’s been some concern expressed that the Rove scandal is by far bigger than any previous sensational headline in this race, and the naturally-following denunciation of Musgrave is not being driven home in a timely manner by Camp Markey.

We think it’s more an issue of having a long list of Musgrave attacks to refute, and the Dems are methodically working through them in the order received. And if the flowchart is truly evened now between the canned complaints and the canned countercomplaints, the Rove scandal could emerge as the decisive weight in the proverbial balance.