February 06, 2009 10:23 PM UTC

Bentley Rayburn's 2008 5th CD Campaign Office Manager, Jeff Bartelson, arrested 2 times in one week

• 2 Comments
• by: NatalieP

While babysitting for a 5 year old boy’s mother so she could attend a political event in 2008, Bartelson was alleged to have molested the boy several times. http://coloradoindependent.com…

This led to the first arrest last week of Bartelson. Reports of that arrest caused one other mother to come forward. Are there any more?  

Did Jeff Bartelson babysit any of Bentley Rayburn’s supporters’ children so they could attend Bentley Rayburn’s political events? If so, were their children molested? These and some other questions should be posed to Bentley Rayburn who should lead the way on an internal investigation of his paid political staff.

Similar questions should be asked of former Colorado Congressman Scott McInnis who while in Congress, read his personal tribute to Jeff Bartelson into the Congressional Record http://coloradoindependent.com…  

Questions for Rayburn should include his position on the “Don’t ask.  Dont’ tell.” policy regarding sexual orientation. While in active service, he had to abide

by Bill Clinton’s policy, but, now that he is no longer on active duty, what values does he hold in regard to this policy in regard to the military and in regard

to his choice of political staff?  Whatever those answers may be, how do they reflect on his wanting to be a leader in Colorado’s most conservative county, El Paso County?

It is my understanding that Mike Hesse, Rayburn’s campaign manager in 2008, and former Chief of Staff for then Congressman Scott McInnis, has known Jeff Bartelson for many, many years, and that Mike Hesse is the one who brought Jeff Bartelson onto Rayburn’s campaign.  Indeed, some conservatives were disturbed by Rayburn’s choice of Mike Hesse as his campaign manager in 2008 as being out of line with their values.  

While Mr. Hesse, Jeff Bartleson, and Scott McInnis may have worked together well or had a mutual admiration society while McInnis was in office, McInnis does not, in my opinion, represent the conservative values of the 5th Congressonial District nor does Mike Hesse nor Jeff Bartelson. We should remember this when McInnis runs for U.S. Senate in 2010.  

By extension, Rayburn’s choices of political staff also, in my opinion, call into question his political judgment and leadership.  If any mothers out there had their children being babysat by Jeff Bartelson while they attended Bentley Rayburn’s campaign events, please ask your children if they were molested.  If they indicate that there were, please contact your local law enforcement.

Let us hope that Bentley Rayburn will lead an investigation as to whether Jeff Bartelson had access to any of his supporters’ children while they attended Rayburn’s political functions.  If Bentley Rayburn doesn’t want to ask, shame on him.  

And, I hope that Mike Hesse and Scott McInnis will undertake to do the same in regard to any past or present campaigns on behalf of Scott McInnis with which Jeff Bartelson was or is associated.