January 23, 2009 06:01 AM UTC

Balmer To Turn Over Phone Records

• 3 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

The latest development in the ongoing intra-GOP ethics scandal stemming from recent House minority leadership elections, the Aurora Sentinel updates:

State Rep. David Balmer, R-Aurora, said yesterday he will set aside his attorney’s advice and turn over phone records to a state House ethics committee investigating the role of lobbyists in his recent bid for a leadership contest.

“I’ll happily give (the committee) exactly what they asked for,” Balmer said yesterday.

Lawmakers are looking into whether Balmer asked lobbyist Erik Groves to get an incoming freshman lawmaker to support him for minority leader. Another panel is looking at whether Groves, who represents the Colorado Chiropractic Association, violated rules barring lobbyists from getting involved in the Legislature’s leadership races.

He said yesterday that he’s certain the phone records will make it clear he had no contact with the accused lobbyists…

Assuming he really gives unredacted records it’s a welcome development, and the smartest thing Dave “Resumé” Balmer could do for himself–as our readers know, the lack of cooperation with the ethics committee from Balmer has turned into a bit of a story of its own. The Sentinel recaps:

Balmer’s attorney, Jonathan Anderson, sent a letter to the committee saying there was no proof that Balmer worked with a lobbyist to improperly try to win a leadership position in the state House and that it would violate Balmer’s privacy if he were forced to turn over phone records.

Even after committee members gave Balmer permission to black out sensitive business information, Anderson said the request was still too broad because it included Balmer’s family phone records.

Levy said she was taken aback by the events.

“I had expected an answer from (Balmer), not a legal analysis from an attorney,” Levy said Tuesday…

But that kind of uncordial treatment of your supposed peers can quickly emerge as the real problem when they’re standing in judgment over you. The fact is that most parties, including the ethics committee itself, are begging for this to be over and will probably let Balmer skate in the absence of an unignorable smoking gun–if for no other reason than because he was ‘collegial’ enough to stop talking to them through Holland & Hart.