Author Archives: Erik Maulbetsch

Tina Peters Confirms New CO GOP Chair Offered Her a Party Leadership Role

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch March 15, 2023 at 5:00 PM MDT

(Welcome to the previously unthinkable — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams prior to his win, posing with opponents Kevin Lundberg & Tina Peters after they endorsed him

Despite losing the election to lead the Colorado Republican Party last weekend, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters may yet have a role in leading the state GOP. Peters says she’s considering a party leadership position offered to her by newly elected Chair Dave Williams, who won his election with Peters’ help.

Peters first teased her possibly joining Williams in a March 12 tweet, in which she taunted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold for noting that by electing Williams, the state GOP had just endorsed election denialism.

Peters replied, “This is great. … Wait until she sees who’s Executive Director. That’s REALLY going to blow her mind… wait for it! Taking back Colorado.”

Via text, Peters confirmed that she is thinking about Williams’ offer.

“I’m considering it,” said Peters. “Will evaluate if it’s the right step for me, the state and the people that I love and serve.”

Williams himself publicly addressed Peters’ potential hiring earlier this week during an interview with KNUS radio host Dan Caplis.

CAPLIS: But there’s there’s a lot of chatter on social media that you may be considering appointing Tina Peters as executive director of the GOP. Is there any truth to that?

WILLIAMS: So all the candidates that ran, I’ve already given them the invitation to have some sort of formal role. As it relates to executive director, we’re not even going to have that title anymore. For Tina, she is welcome to join us should she want to and we’ve engaged on what that looks like. But that’s true for Aaron Wood. That’s true for Erik Aadland, that’s true for Casper [Stockham]. And you know, to both Kevins [Lundberg and McCarney] in the race. It’s a matter of trying to get everyone squared away so that we have a good team of rivals, so to speak, where we can be firing on all cylinders and win for the party again.” Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams on the Dan Caplis Show, March 13, 2023

Peters wasn’t the only opponent to throw her support to Williams. Former state Sen. Kevin Lundberg did the same. Via email, he told the Colorado Times Recorder that his decision to support Williams happened quickly and wasn’t predicated on any sort of quid pro quo.

“My agreeing to support David with Tina happened about 30 seconds before she announced it,” said Lundberg. “I have offered to help David in any way I can, but not in any professional way, just as a volunteer for the party. Erik [Aadland] is a good man, but very little experience and history in working with the GOP. David’s work in the legislature and with the party gives him a big advantage in hitting the ground running.”

Aadland, who was by far Williams’ closest opponent in the race for chair, did not respond to a voicemail requesting comment as to whether he and Williams have discussed his having a leadership role in the party and whether such a position even interests him. This article will be updated with any response received.

(more…)

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Mike Lindell Endorses Tina Peters for Colorado GOP Chair

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch March 9, 2023 at 11:29 AM MST

(Because of course — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Nationally-known endorsements are a key factor in any political race, and in these final days of the race for Colorado GOP Chair, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has landed a big one: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Lindell’s support isn’t surprising- he’s been an ally and benefactor of Peters since before she was charged with the seven felonies she currently faces for her alleged involvement in the copying of her own county’s election data. 

Given Lindell’s connection to Peters, the Colorado Times Recorder last week asked him if he was endorsing Peters.

“Yes, I would endorse Tina Peters in a heartbeat and I do endorse her,” said Lindell. “She fought to get rid of the electronic voting machines and to get our elections fair and she would be a great chairman.”

Asked for comment via text, Peters provided an audio clip of Lindell formally endorsing her for Chair, presumably sent as a robocall to Colorado GOP Central Committee members.

“Hello everyone, Mike Lindell here, You know how much I love this great country. Well right now, Colorado needs a GOP chair that will ensure that true Republicans are not only supported, but given the tools they need to win at the polls. We’ve all had it with weak politicians that promise and do nothing once they’re elected. Tina Peters has stood in the fight for all of Colorado and now you must stand with her. I’m Mike Lindell and I wholeheartedly support Tina Peters for GOP chair.”

In August of 2021 Lindell used his private jet to fly Peters and several other Mesa County election fraud conspiracy theorists to his Cyber Symposium. He subsequently flew her to Texas and provided housing, ostensibly for her safety, for weeks following the event, which failed to produce any evidence of election fraud in Mesa County or anywhere else.

Last April Lindell told reporters he was supporting Peters financially as well, saying he’d paid around $800,000 for her legal defense, though he appears to have walked back that claim in later statements.

When federal agents seized Lindell’s phone last year, the search warrant included all communications with Peters.

(more…)

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Adam Frisch Raises $500k in Three Days for Boebert Rematch

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch February 21, 2023 at 9:34 AM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Adam Frisch (center) flanked by Boebert’s primary challenger state Sen. Don Coram, and Frisch’s son.

Adam Frisch, the Democrat who came within 546 votes of making Lauren Boebert a one-term Congresswoman, announced an eye-popping fundraising haul of over half a million dollars… since Tuesday, when he announced his intent to run again next year.

As a blue wave rolled across Colorado last November, its high water mark surprised even the most partisan Democratic cheerleaders: the Third Congressional District, a longtime Republican stronghold and newly claimed home of Colorado’s controversial conservative bomb-thrower.

“The outpouring of support we have received this week is a testament to the fact that people in this district and across the nation are ready for Boebert’s angertainment circus to stop,” said Frisch. “The people of Western and Southern Colorado deserve a leader who will focus on the needs of the district to protect our water, create jobs, and achieve energy independence – not one like Boebert who is only focused on herself. I’m more confident than ever that we will defeat Rep. Boebert in 2024.”

The campaign notes it received donations from all 27 counties in CD3 as well as all 50 states.

(more…)

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Indicted CO Clerk Peters Falsely Implies DA Murdered Witnesses’ Brothers

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch February 2, 2023 at 3:12 PM MST

(Off the deepest of deep ends — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters took her conspiracy promotion to a new level this week when she implied that law enforcement murdered two family members of her former staff members in order to compel them to testify against her.

Appearing on Joe Oltmann’s far-right podcast, Peters falsely stated that the brothers of her former deputy Belinda Knisley and staffer Sandra Brown were both killed in separate unsolved hit-and-run accidents prior to the Mesa District Attorney offering them plea deals in exchange for their testimony.

At the end of the interview, Oltmann returned to the false claim, saying the deaths were “no coincidence,” and claiming that “this is what the criminal enterprise does. They know they can’t win unless they cheat, lie, steal and destroy.” Peters nods along then replies, “That’s right.”

While both men died in traffic accidents, neither was a hit-and-run, and neither involved parties unknown to law enforcement.

Brown’s brother died in a traffic accident last September in Grand Junction. He was riding his motorcycle at high speed when he crashed into an SUV on Patterson Road. The collision also injured the other driver and damaged her vehicle, which remained on the scene.

(more…)

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Boebert’s Mom Promotes Conspiracy That Buffalo Bills Player, Who Survived Heart Attack, Is Dead

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch January 26, 2023 at 10:56 AM MST

(“Q-Mom” has some more deep thoughts – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Mocking conspiracy theorists, Hamlin posted this picture with the caption, “Clone.”

The first time Lauren Boebert was asked about QAnon, she tried to brush it off, saying “that’s more my mom’s thing- she’s a little fringe,” before going on to say she herself hoped the conspiracy theory is real and that it could be good for America.

Nearly three years later, it appears that the congresswoman’s mother, Shawna Bentz, is still an avid conspiracy theorist.

She’s currently promoting the ludicrous theory being pushed by Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec that the NFL is covering up that fact that Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin actually died after collapsing during a game earlier this month and that a body double was used last week when cameras showed him cheering on his team from a suite.

Bentz posted a video of Hamlin waving his arms and asked, “Can this be done with broken ribs?”

In comments on Bentz’s post, she agreed with a man who wrote, “I’ve got a thousand bucks that says he’s been dead for weeks,” before implying that Hamlin’s supposed death was caused by the COVID vaccine.

Bentz replied, “yes, and the NFL made all those players get the JAB they are freaking.”

(more…)

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Denver Bishop Blames ‘Transgender Ideology’ for Fewer Number of Churchgoers

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch January 24, 2023 at 9:28 AM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

By Isabel Lanzetta, Colorado Times Recorder

Denver Archbishop Samuel J Aquila hosted a Memorial Mass Sunday to mark what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

People filtered into the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at midday, waiting for the 12:30 Mass to begin.

Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila

During his sermon, Aquila targeted Critical Race Theory and the transgender community, blaming each for the diminishing number of churchgoers.

“We wonder why our Churches are empty,” he stated. “Whether it is the CRT, [or] transgender ideology …. we have failed to belong to Jesus Christ.”

Aquila then called on attendees to pray for increased church involvement in government.

“Last March, in 2022, I asked all the archdiocese to pray to end the decision [Roe v. Wade] and to putting Jesus first in our Congress,” he stated. “And if you have not prayed yet with me, I encourage you to pray.”

Aquila encouraged those present to recognize the dignity of every human being, “whether it be the homeless … the immigrant …. the woman who is pregnant outside of wedlock … [or] the prostitute.”

RELATED: Denver Bishop Says It’s An ‘Act of Charity’ To Tell Gay And Trans People They ‘Don’t Conform To Nature’

After the November 19 shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Aquila published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which he denied accusations that the Catholic Church promoted homophobic and transphobic rhetoric that has contributed to hate crimes.

In the piece, Aquila wrote, “Our critics charge that the Catholic Church is discriminating against those who identify as gay or transgender, but it isn’t discriminatory to tell someone you think his beliefs don’t conform to nature—it’s an act of charity.”

(more…)

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GOP Candidates Were ‘Taken Advantage Of’ by Money-Chasing Consultants, Says Nat’l Republican Leader

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch January 6, 2023 at 3:17 PM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Appearing on a Denver radio show on New Year’s Eve, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel was asked by host Randy Corporon if she had any idea why Republicans were “wiped out” in Colorado. After acknowledging that the state has been trending more Democratic in recent years, she said lots of candidates avoided talking about the abortion issue. She blamed that on consultants, some of whom she believes “took advantage” of candidates to make money rather than implement the most effective strategies.

(more…)

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Boebert: Next Speaker Must Bring Back Members’ Ability to Oust Speaker At Any Time

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch December 15, 2022 at 12:37 PM MST

(The chaos is the point — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

It’s official. Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has won re-election. While the result had been presumed for weeks, the confirmed tally means national politicos are now looking to the next House prize: the speaker’s gavel. Former Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is the consensus frontrunner, but the GOP’s slim majority in the chamber requires a near-unanimous vote from his fellow House Republicans. The narrow margin gives far-right members like Boebert substantial leverage to extract concessions from McCarthy in exchange for their support.

So what does Boebert want? According to the congresswoman, she wants the same thing several of her fellow Freedom Caucus members are demanding: the ability to ask colleagues to oust McCarthy at any time.

Last week she told far-right podcaster Tomi Lahren that while she hadn’t committed her support to McCarthy or any other aspiring speaker, her one “very hard-line” issue is the reinstatement of an obscure House rule that would empower any member to call for a vote to remove the speaker. During the short Dec. 9 interview, Boebert made it clear her support for McCarthy is contingent upon a promise to reinstate the “motion to vacate” rule.

“I haven’t committed my vote — one way or another — to anyone,” said Boebert. “I’ve met with Leader McCarthy multiple times — I’m meeting with him again today. And we’re certainly talking, but I want to see him support a motion to vacate.

“The American public may not be too familiar with that. But it’s an accountability measure that’s been in place since the 1800s, until Nancy Pelosi removed it. This gave each individual member of Congress the ability to have an actual check on leadership in the House of Representatives. Our government is all about checks and balances. This was written by Thomas Jefferson, and it’s been in place for almost two centuries. That accountability measure needs to stay in place.

“This is something I’ve expressed to Kevin: this is a very hard line to even begin any sort of conversation, because what good is it to negotiate in the absence of truth and trust? So that accountability measure certainly needs to be there. There’s no denying he’s the leader of the conference right now, and what he says matters. We’ll wait to see what actually happens on Jan. 3, but we all want a unified party.”

(more…)

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Buck Votes Against Own Gun Safety Bill, Says He Didn’t Read it Closely Enough

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch December 9, 2022 at 2:48 PM MST

(Ken Buck at his finest — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Congressman Ken Buck, who has campaigned for nearly two decades on his pro-gun stance, finally found a gun safety bill he could support, at least until it came time to vote for it.

Buck, a Republican, is a co-sponsor of a proposal to create a voluntary waiting period to purchase a firearm, but ultimately voted against it after its hearing Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee. Back in July, Buck co-sponsored H.R.8361, the bill introduced by Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) with the goal of preventing those who may experience suicidal thoughts from being able to immediately obtain a gun.

Anyone may add themselves to the “no-buy” list, which firearm dealers would consult as part of the national instant criminal background check system before making a sale. Those who change their mind can remove themselves from the list after a three-week waiting period.

Buck’s co-sponsorship of this bill angered Colorado’s most extreme gun rights group, the National Association of Gun Rights (NAGR), the national arm of Dudley Brown’s Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. NAGR’s sent an email on Tuesday urging its members to call Buck and demand he “reverse course” and pull his support.

Yesterday, during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill, Buck did just that.

“I have proudly cosponsored this legislation because I believe in doing everything we can to minimize suicides and protect people from themselves under certain circumstances,” said Buck. “I have issues with this bill and I will ask the gentlelady [Jayapal] if there’s a way to work to address them before or after the end of this markup.”

Buck then listed several changes he wanted to make to the bill.

Buck’s explanation for his flip-flop after being a co-sponsor for five months? He didn’t read the bill carefully enough.

“I apologize to my friend from Washington [state] for misleading her when I initially co-sponsored this bill,” he said. “I still would like to work on this bill, make it stronger and bring it back — since we have six days left in this Congress, perhaps next Congress — and see if we can’t do something to reduce the number of suicides in this country.”

Jayapal welcomed some of the changes Buck suggested and thanked him for his partnership and for reading it thoroughly, to which Buck replied, “I wish I’d read it thoroughly earlier.”

In another email sent after Buck voted against the bill, NAGR asked its members to call Buck again and vote against the bill, this time on the floor.

“The tremendous backlash from the pro-gun grassroots has already caused one Republican Congressman to abandon his support of this gun control scheme,” the email also noted, without mentioning that the Congressman in question was Buck himself.

Buck’s office declined to comment beyond his statements during the hearing.

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Pueblo Republican Who’s Recruiting Poll Watchers for Boebert Race Is an Election Denier

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch November 11, 2022 at 11:47 AM MST

(This could be interpreted as problematic — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Christy Fidura w/ Lauren Boebert & Matt Gaetz at the Pueblo GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

In a race that may determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives, election workers across Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District are still counting votes to determine if dark horse Democrat Adam Frisch will upset Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.

In Pueblo, the largest city in the district, the local Republican recruiting GOP poll watchers to oversee the tabulation is an election denier.

Christy Fidura, who uses the name “Chrissy Ruckus” on Facebook, has repeatedly promoted election fraud conspiracies online, given trainings to conservatives on how to “stop the steal,” and even attended MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s most recent election fraud conspiracy conference in August.

In addition to being involved with the Pueblo Republican Party, Fidura runs the grassroots conservative group Pueblo County Patriots, which is filled with election denial conspiracies.

Last April she recruited members of her group to attend an election fraud conspiracy presentation held by the U.S. Election Integrity Plan (USEIP) and the Republican Study Committee of Colorado

Part of Fidura’s pitch to her members was that those attending “will be trained on how to clean these voter rolls up locally to ensure Election Integrity in the future. Those that are trained will lead teams in Pueblo.”

(more…)

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CO Senate Candidate Walsh Praised Trump in Private, Now Tells Voters He’s ‘Not a Fan’

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch November 1, 2022 at 9:27 AM MDT

(At least someone has been listening to Joe O’Dea — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A candidate who says one thing to one audience and the opposite to another is the most common political cliche. It’s rarer to catch one doing so in front of a reporter, but that’s what has happened to Tim Walsh, a Republican running for state senate in Jefferson County.

Back in May, Walsh made an appearance at the venerable Jefferson County Republican Men’s Club (JRMC), a local GOP institution. The Colorado Times Recorder previously reported his statements from that speech which cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Following his biographical stump speech, Walsh spoke in detail about a poll his campaign conducted. He explained that while is he is a Trump supporter “who loves what he did,” he can’t share his love for Trump with voters because of their dislike of the former president.

In an almost apologetic tone, Walsh explains that Trump is hugely unpopular in his district, especially with younger voters. He tells them specifically,

“I am the first to be a Trump supporter. Loved what he did, but I can’t campaign on being a Trump person. And so just letting you know that. When we’re out knocking on doors, we don’t even bring up Trump.” 

If Walsh simply did that — avoided talking about Trump while campaigning, this story would just be about that typical politician cliché — telling folks what they want to hear. He told his far-right base supporters that he loves Trump but won’t reveal his pro-MAGA position when knocking doors of swing voters in his district.

Except we know he isn’t just avoiding the subject on the campaign trail — he’s telling them he doesn’t like Trump.

According to an article published last week by the Colorado Sun’s Elliott Wenzler, who accompanied Walsh on the campaign trail, he is now saying he’s “not a fan” of Trump and “never has been.”

(more…)

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O’Dea to Campaign with Chris Christie

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch October 28, 2022 at 9:41 AM MDT
(Time for some traffic problems — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A lovely bridge built by Joe O’Dea’s company and paid for with your tax dollars.

Colorado U.S. Senate hopeful Joe O’Dea is holding a campaign event this Saturday in Denver with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

O’Dea lists transportation infrastructure as a priority issue and his leadership experience is running a company that builds roads and bridges. This makes Christie is an ironic choice considering he infamously closed lanes on a New Jersey bridge in order to cause a traffic jam for political retribution, a scandal that essentially destroyed his political career.

The announcement of the Christie event comes just days after his endorsement by Florida Governor Ron Desantis, who is also campaigning on behalf of several election fraud conspiracist candidates this year. Christie, was infamously a Trump sycophant during the 2016 campaign before turning on him later in his presidency.

Today he is one of the few Republicans to blame Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection. That position makes Christie quite a contrast from the far-right Desantis and from O’Dea himself, who said Trump does not deserve blame for the deadly riot and who has acknowledged that while he would prefer Desantis, he will vote for Trump if the former president is the 2024 Republican nominee.

Christie also recently called out Desantis over his hypocritical request for federal disaster relief following Hurricane Ian’s devastation of Florida’s Gulf coast. Christie noted Desantis’ 2013 vote against a similar relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy which wreaked havoc on New Jersey nearly a decade ago. At the time Christie also levied the same attack against all four Republican members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation. Christie called Cory Gardner and Mike Coffman (both of whom have endorsed O’Dea) as well as Scott Tipton and Doug Lamborn, all hypocrites for requesting federal flood aid following their votes against Sandy relief.

Christie’s previous efforts to aid Colorado Republicans haven’t been without controversy. In 2014 while stumping for gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, Christie attacked the state’s quality of life over legal marijuana.

(more…)

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U.S. Senate Candidate Peotter: ‘Abandon the Colorado GOP’

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch October 11, 2022 at 9:44 AM MDT

(We have nothing to add — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Brian Peotter has a message for pro-Trump, “liberty-minded” Republicans in Colorado: “This November, tell Washington that you care more about principles than power. The Republican can’t win anyway! Don’t throw away your vote — use it to send a message.”

“If you have traditional family values, the Colorado Republican Party has left you. It is time to consider voting for me, Brian Peotter the Libertarian candidate for U.S Senate.”

Peotter says he’s running to give the conservative base of the Republican Party an option at the ballot box, which he believes so-called establishment Republicans have abandoned. This includes those like him who believe the Big Lie that Biden stole the 2020 election from Trump. In multiple posts on the far-right social media platform Gab, Peotter promotes the conspiracy theory, saying he will “fix” or “correct” the 2020 election.

“Elections need to be fixed,” wrote Peotter. “Stop supporting a Republican party in Colorado that says “we need to move past 2020. I’ll impeach Biden.”

Campaigning in an “Ultra MAGA” hat, he told a conservative podcast that his top issues are ending abortion, ending military aid to Ukraine, and protecting the Second Amendment, specifically re-legalizing machine guns.

He also embraced his role as a spoiler, saying the Libertarian Party needs to use its ability to pull votes from the Republican base to force the GOP to run more conservative candidates.

Peotter on the Bob & Eric Save America podcast, Sept. 26, 2022

The Libertarian Party has traditionally been all about choice, from legalizing drugs to supporting LGBTQ rights to being explicitly in favor of a woman’s right to choose.

Until recently, that is. Earlier this year a far-right socially conservative faction called the Mises Caucus successfully took over the national Libertarian Party. Among their changes was removing its longtime support for access to abortion care from the party platform.

Peotter was a part of that effort. “If it wasn’t for the fact that we took over the Libertarian Party nationally and got rid of [the pro-choice position], I wouldn’t be a Libertarian,” he told the Colorado Times Recorder. “As a group we [the Mises Caucus] went to the national convention this year. We removed the abortion plank from the Libertarian Party that had been there for a very long time.”

(more…)

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Ganahl Speaking at John Birch Society Event

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch October 7, 2022 at 8:44 AM MDT

(Old-school extremism, meet Heidi Ganahl — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl is speaking at an event this evening featuring a presentation by far-right conspiracist group, The John Birch Society (JBS). Joining Ganahl is talk radio host and Colorado’s RNC Committeeman Randy Corporon, state Rep. Mark Baisley (R-Roxborough Park) who is running for state senate, another talk radio host, former U.S. Senate hopeful Deborah Flora, and Turning Point USA’s Gabby Reichardt.

A spokesperson for We the Women, which is hosting the event at a church in Castle Rock, confirmed Ganahl’s appearance. The evening’s main speaker is JBS field organizer Leah Southwell, who’s given numerous talks warning that Marxists and communists are “taking over America from within.” Southwell has presented at We the Women events before.

JBS is one of the nation’s oldest conspiracy groups, long claiming “global elites” secretly rule the world, leading the Anti-Defamation League to call out JBS’ dangerous anti-Semitic statements as far back as 1967. Today JBS pushes conspiracies like the “Great Reset” and UN Agenda 2030 and continues to warn that “globalists have been planning an attack for years.”

The JBS website promotes numerous conspiracies

Southwell’s employer, the John Birch Society, has advocated far-right conspiracies and fringe positions for decades, famously seeing communists everywhere. In the week following the insurrection, the Washington Post took a long look back at the history of Republican links to right-wing conspiracists in a piece titled, “Long before QAnon, Ronald Reagan and the GOP purged John Birch extremists from the party.”

(more…)

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Boebert Jumps Aboard Furry Panic Wagon, Because Of Course

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch October 4, 2022 at 11:49 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Congresswoman Boebert speaking at a rally in Grand Junction, Colo. Photo: Sharon Sullivan

By Sharon Sullivan for the Colorado Times Recorder U.S Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) spoke at a Mesa County Republican Women luncheon on Monday, where she mentioned she received a call last week from a father whose kid was in trouble at school because he “stepped on a furry.”

Furries are fans of anthropomorphic animals. The term refers to a subculture of people who dress up as animals (usually in mascot costumes).

“They are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats,” Boebert said. “Durango is doing this. This is how extreme it is.”

It’s “absolutely not true” that Durango schools have litter boxes, said Karla Sluis, Durango School District 9-4 public information officer.

“It’s important that real facts are shared and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify what’s not true,” Sluis said.

“We do believe in the importance in supporting our students’ emotional, social needs and honoring their unique identities,” Sluis told the Colorado Times Recorder. “Our job is to make all students feel psychologically safe; that’s the best way for them to be able to learn.”

According to a September 29 lgbtqnation.com article that mentions Boebert, “Various right-wingers have lied about schools recognizing furries as a gender identity. In reality, such stories are meant to bias people against transgender individuals and against transgender-inclusive school policies, since they are designed to mock the idea of living as one’s authentic self.”

(more…)

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CO Treasurer Candidate Sias Cashed Campaign Check From QAnon-Promoting Jan. 6 Participant

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch September 29, 2022 at 10:12 AM MDT

(Wendy Meritt everywhere — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Lang Sias campaigning with redpilled GOP donor Wendy Meritt

Republican Lang Sias wants to be Colorado’s next treasurer, but first he has to convince voters that he’s the best choice to manage the state’s multi-billion dollar finances.

Yet, after learning that a QAnon-supporting Jan. 6 participant gave his campaign $1,250 — the maximum amount allowed — Sias won’t say whether he’s returning the money.

His campaign manager Tiffany Coolidge did not respond to an email request for comment, despite having responded to the Colorado Times Recorder’s inquiries about this same donor in connection with GOP Secretary of State candidate Pam Anderson, whose campaign Coolidge is also running.

The donor, Wendy Meritt, is a wealthy Republican fundraiser and activist who tweeted about attending Trump’s Stop the Steal rally and then walking down to the Capitol, where she says she saw police removing barricades to allow pro-Trump crowd to get closer.

Meritt gave the maximum allowable donation not only to Sias but also to gubernatorial hopeful Heidi Ganahl and Attorney General nominee John Kellner. She’s contributed even more to Joe O’Dea’s U.S. Senate campaign, which makes sense considering her husband Xernie is O’Dea’s longtime business partner at Concrete Express, Inc.

At the state GOP primary night watch party back in June, Sias appeared in a brief campaign video with Meritt, similar to the one Secretary of State candidate Pam Anderson recorded with Meritt that same evening.

(more…)

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Conservative Nonprofit To Hire Tina Peters To Spread The Big Lie

5
  by: Erik Maulbetsch September 27, 2022 at 12:58 PM MDT

(MAGA job security — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Clerk Tina Peters pitching her movie screening and Q&A.

Conspiracist clerk Tina Peters, who faces multiple felony charges for election-fraud-related crimes, answered questions at a pair of screenings of the faux-documentary “Selection Code” last week in Pueblo and Colorado Springs. The conspiracy movie, which stars Peters herself, makes debunked claims that not only the 2020 presidential election but also the 2021 Grand Junction municipal election were stolen from the rightful conservative winners.

A far-right nonprofit group led by members of two prominent Colorado conservative organizations, Colorado Christian University and the Independence Institute, sponsored the events. Americans for America (A4A) collected the money for the event series, “Ten For Tina.”

“Ten For Tina” event flyer. QR code links to Americans for America site.

Reached for comment, A4A President Regina Thomson describes the event as a “in effect, a fundraiser for Tina.”

Thomson, a 2016 RNC delegate, says the group is asking for donations for tomorrow’s event in order to fund a contract to pay Peters to “go out and speak and educate on election integrity issues” starting next year. “Right now as an elected official, any money she gets other than her paycheck she has to file a report with the secretary of state and tell them what she got, and she’s under so much scrutiny that we’re not going to put her in that kind of spot at the moment,” says Thomson. “So we’re looking forward to contracting with her right after the first of the year to go out and speak on the same thing she’s speaking about now, when she’s not an elected official any longer.”

“She’s one of our upcoming projects to go out and speak on election integrity,” says Thomson. “It’s all legal and above board, it’s just that we don’t want her to have a target on her back any bigger than she does until she’s out of office.”

(more…)

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GOP Sec. of State Candidate Won’t Disavow Endorsement of Jan. 6 Participant

10
  by: Erik Maulbetsch September 20, 2022 at 3:58 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado Secretary of State hopeful Pam Anderson has made rejecting the Big Lie a central message of her campaign, but a new video shows her arm-in-arm with a major state GOP activist and fundraiser who’s not only pushed QAnon-linked election conspiracy theories, but also participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

As the Colorado Times Recorder reported last week, prominent Republican fundraiser Wendy Meritt tweeted about being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, claimed the violence was carried out by Antifa, and pushed multiple election fraud conspiracies.

Meritt, whose husband Xernie is U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea’s longtime business partner, deleted her Twitter account following the publication of our article.

Anderson has previously campaigned with fellow GOP candidates who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election, including gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl’s Lt. Gov. pick Danny Moore, and statehouse candidate Stephanie Wheeler.

Meritt, however, is the only one who has publicly posted about participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection or promoted the QAnon-linked “Italygate” conspiracy, which claims Italian military satellites remotely switched voted from the Trump to Biden.

The Colorado Times Recorder asked Anderson if she was aware of Meritt’s beliefs or participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection when they made the video, and if not, would she disavow Meritt’s endorsement

Anderson” offered the following response, which does not include a disavowal.

“I have not had a conversation with Ms. Meritt, a private citizen, about the details of her political views besides what you see-her congratulations and appreciation of my primary win against Tina Peters and Mike O’Donnell,” said Anderson. “I will continue to run on my strong message of uniting and informing Coloradans behind our election system, not further divide or ostracize people.“

Anderson’s refusal to disavow the endorsement of a conspiracist election denier seems at odds with a candidate who today promoted her appearance on the cover of Time Magazine as an “election defender.

Anderson also declined to answer the Colorado Times Recorder’s inquiry as to whether she would call on her fellow Republican candidates to return Ms. Meritt’s many thousands of dollars’ worth of campaign contributions. Meritt has given the maximum amount not only to the O’Dea campaign, but also to Ganahl and the campaigns of Lang Sias and John Kellner, Colorado Republicans running for state treasurer and Attorney General, respectively.

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FBI Seizes Mike Lindell’s Phone During Investigation of Colorado Clerk & Other Election Conspiracists

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch September 14, 2022 at 9:13 AM MDT

(Stand by for a new promo code — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell reads from his FBI search warrant

Returning from a successful morning hunt at his favorite duck pond, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and a friend pulled into a southern Minnesota Hardee’s drive-thru for a bite on the way home. While awaiting their order, three cars surrounded Lindell’s vehicle from all sides.

Lindell says he told his friend, ‘those are either bad guys, or the FBI.’ It was the FBI, with a search warrant for his phone.  

Reached by phone, Lindell tells the Colorado Times Recorder they wanted to talk to him about indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and former math teacher turned Big Lie propagandist Douglas Frank.

“They asked me when I first met Tina. I told them what I’ve always said: I never met her until she arrived at the Cyber Symposium. They asked me about Doug Frank too. I told them I met him when we made the [election fraud conspiracy movie] Scientific Proof.”  

Lindell says he considered refusing to hand over the phone in hopes of forcing the FBI to arrest him and thus generating headlines, but that his own lawyer, whom he called while being detained, told him to give the agents his phone. He says he and his lawyer are now working on getting it back from the Department of Justice.

Lindell shared images of a cover letter and search warrant on his podcast yesterday. He told the Colorado Times Recorder that federal agents gave him the documents during the encounter at Hardee’s.

The DOJ declined the Colorado Times Recorder’s request for comment, but the FBI confirmed to multiple news outlets that it executed a search warrant at the location Lindell described. 

The warrant authorized federal agents to search Lindell and seize his cell phone. The search request, which comes from an Assistant U.S. Attorney based in the Department of Justice’s Grand Junction office, lists the phone data of concern to the DOJ. It specifies any records involving Lindell, Frank, Peters, her staffers Belinda Knisley and Sandra Brown, (who have already been charged).

(more…)

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Former El Paso County GOP Officer Calls for State Sen. Hisey’s Resignation

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch September 1, 2022 at 12:48 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

State Sen. Dennis Hisey (R-Colo Springs, Fountain, Denver, Colo Spgs, Fountain)

A former El Paso County Republican Party officer is calling on his party’s leaders to demand the resignation of one of their own: state Sen. Dennis Hisey (R-Fountain).

In an open letter to the party chair for Senate District 11 (SD11) and Colorado Republican Party Chair Kristi Burton Brown, John Pitchford, a state delegate and precinct leader who served as El Paso County GOP treasurer from Nov. 2019 until last October, cited recent news reports that Hisey doesn’t live in the district he’s running to represent.

Pitchford also claims that the Republican Party has known about this issue since last October, writing, “[W]ithin the GOP we have discussed Senator Hisey’s residency issue ever since the redistricting process was completed.”

This issue is already front and center for voters in SD11; their current senator, Democrat Pete Lee, faces a class 5 felony charge for the very same allegation.

Last week, as reported by the Colorado Springs Independent, the Colorado Ethics Institute (CEI) asked Colorado Springs District Attorney Michael Allen to investigate whether Hisey actually resides in the house at which he is registered to vote. CEI submitted a private investigator’s report that concludes that Hisey spends the majority of his time at his previous residence (where his wife still lives), rather than at the address appearing on his voter registration.

Reached for comment, El Paso County GOP Chair Vickie Tonkins says the party will wait for the facts to come out before taking a position on whether Hisey should resign.

“We do not take positions until we know the truth and see the facts,” says Tonkins. “Facts and truth should always be first.”

(more…)

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John Kellner Wouldn’t Have Challenged Trump in Court

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch August 8, 2022 at 1:36 PM MDT
(It’s not just what they’d do, but also what they wouldn’t — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado AG Phil Weiser repeatedly fought the Trump Administration in court. Republican challenger John Kellner says he wouldn’t have filed any of those lawsuits.

By Sharon Sullivan for the Colorado Times Recorder

 

In an interview last week, John Kellner, the Republican who’s running to be Colorado’s top lawyer, wouldn’t name a case where he agreed with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s decision to go to court to oppose former President Donald Trump’s legal positions or policies.

This means, unlike Weiser, Kellner wouldn’t have taken legal action, on behalf of Colorado, to try to stop the overturn Roe v. Wade. Or to try to stop the Texas abortion ban from becoming law. Or to stop the Trump Administration from preventing health care providers, who receive federal funding, from referring patients for an abortion or even discussing abortion as an option. Or to stop Trump from revoking clean air regulations or protection for Dreamers, young immigrants. Or to try to block many other Trump initiatives, as Weiser did.

Kellner has accused Weiser of being “a political activist as attorney general” who’s “driven by politics not public safety.”

But when asked to name Weiser’s legal actions against the Trump administration that he supported or opposed, Kellner cited none of Weiser’s initiatives that he supported, and he turned to a topic that he repeatedly brings up on the campaign trail: drugs.

John Kellner. Photo: Sharon Sullivan

Kellner said he opposed Weiser’s friend-of-the-court brief in support of a Philadelphia nonprofit in its legal battle with the federal government regarding its efforts to open a supervised drug injection site.

“He supported a lawsuit – injection sites in Philadelphia,” said Kellner, 40, who’s a former U.S. Marine Corps prosecutor and current district attorney for Colorado’s 18th Judicial District in Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. “I think injection sites are a terrible idea.”

Weiser said he doesn’t support drug injection sites, either.

“I’m not for them – I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Weiser said. “The issue is, states should be allowed to experiment, like how Colorado has experimented with legalizing marijuana.”

(more…)

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CO Republican Statehouse Candidate Is Election Denier Working for Mike Lindell

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch August 5, 2022 at 8:39 AM MDT

(You never know who might have a clown suit in their closet — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Republican state senate candidate Melody Peotter

A Colorado Republican state Senate candidate is employed by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell to promote election fraud conspiracy theories.

Melody Peotter, who is running for Senate District 25 in the north Denver suburbs, lists Lindell Management as her employer on her personal financial disclosure form.  Lindell funds Cause of America, the national conspiracist organization Lindell modeled upon the Colorado-based U.S. Election Integrity Plan (USEIP), and he told Reuters that he pays other election-focused employees through Lindell Management. Two right-wing conspiracists who endorsed Peotter say she works specifically for Cause of America.

Peotter was one of the original members of USEIP. Founder Holly Kasun added Peotter and her husband Brian to the organization’s Basecamp communication platform on Nov. 28, 2020, the same day it was created.

USEIP Basecamp chat, Nov. 28, 2020

The group’s chat logs show that a week later, Melody was responsible for adding new members. Melody, whose USEIP profile image shows the same person as pictures her campaign site and personal Facebook pages, added 99 members to the group’s platform in late 2020 and the first half of 2021.

USEIP Basecamp chat, Dec. 5, 2020

Amy Scott Grant, a new age self-help author who blogs as “Patriot Amy,” endorsed Peotter as a true “constitutional conservative.”

“Melody works for Mike Lindell’s Cause of America and is all in on election integrity,” writes Grant. “She’s also a staunch patriot, a hard worker, and a loving mom. I know this individual personally as a co-worker and a friend. Melody stepped up when no one else was running her district.”

The USEIP chat logs also show Peotter’s answer to the group’s discussion question, “Read any good books lately?” She praises an antisemitic conspiracy book: “None Dare Call it Conspiracy by Gary Allen. A little old, but so many truths still resonate today!”

USEIP Basecamp chat, Jan. 3, 2021

(more…)

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Congressional Candidate Aadland Endorsed by QAnon, Anti-Immigration Figures

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch August 4, 2022 at 2:37 PM MDT

(The Tancredo kiss of death: how many candidates has Tanc doomed? — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Tilt your head to the right and squint to see the “Q” in Aadland’s logo.

By Heidi Beedle, Colorado Times Recorder

Erik Aadland recently announced endorsements from far-right thought leaders Paul Vallely and Tom Tancredo.

Last month, The Colorado Times Recorder reported on Aadland’s connection to far-right and QAnon social media accounts, and his recent endorsements from Tancredo, a former congressman and contributor to white nationalist publication VDARE, and Vallely, who was described by Media Matters as an “unhinged right-wing conspiracy theorist,” are another sign of Aadland’s connection to fringe, extremist politics.

“I am inspired and enthused by Major General (Ret.) Vallely’s endorsement,” said Aadland, a Republican, in a campaign announcement. “It’s an honor to earn the trust of a leader and thinker of his caliber. I share MG Vallely’s concern about the severe issues facing our economy, public safety, energy, and educational systems, and I intend to fight for all Coloradans to resolve these crises. I appreciate the leadership that MG Vallely and his generation gave us during their time. I will continue that tradition by ably representing the 7th district in Washington.”

Vallely, who graduated from West Point in 1961, retired from the U.S. Army in 1991 and has worked as an analyst for Fox News. Alongside Mike Flynn, Phil Waldron, Seth Keshel, and others, Vallely is part of a group of former military intelligence officers who have cast doubt on the 2020 election and endorsed QAnon conspiracy theories. Vallely has also endorsed Colorado gubernatorial candidate Danielle Neuschwanger, who first ran as a Republican but became the nominee of the American Constitution Party.

“QAnon is information that comes out of a group called ‘The Army of Northern Virginia,’” said Vallely during a 2019 appearance on the Americanuck Radio podcast. “This is a group of military intelligence specialists, of over 800 people that advises the president. The president does not have a lot of confidence in the CIA or the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) much anymore. So the President relies on real operators, who are mostly Special Operations type of people. This is where ‘Q’ picks up some of his information.”

Vallely’s statement about “The Army of Northern Virginia” is a reference to the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Support Activity, which was given the nickname, popular in military special operations circles, by the late 80s. Flynn has benefited from the QAnon movement, but also said that Q is “total nonsense” created by the CIA. Others have suggested that failed Arizona congressional candidate Ron Watkins could be behind the mysterious posts that spawned the conspiracy-motivated movement.

(more…)

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“Disheartening”–Centennial Institute Director Slams Joe O’Dea

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch August 1, 2022 at 2:42 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

By Isla Lader, Colorado Times Recorder

One day after the U.S. House passed the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) on July 19 with support from 47 Republican federal lawmakers, the director of Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute and chairman of the Western Conservative Summit, Jeff Hunt, announced on a local talk radio show the launching of a petition effort to pressure Colorado’s two U.S. Senators to vote against the bill which seeks to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.

CCU’s Centennial Institute Director Jeff Hunt

The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University is a think tank that holds public policy seminars and describes its mission as such, “By proclaiming Truth, we aim to foster faith, family, and freedom, teach citizenship, and renew the spirit of 1776.”

The petition against H.R. 8404 stands against the federalization of same-sex marriage, but also what the petition supporters claim is an expansion of marriage definitions.

“It is a startling expansion of what marriage means—and who may be sued if they disagree—that threatens the freedom of numerous ‘decent and honorable’ Americans of different faiths, creeds, and walks of life who wish to live consistent with their deeply-held beliefs.”

The Respect Marriage Act also includes measures to give statutory authority to interracial marriages. The petition clarifies that the Centennial Institute does not oppose interracial marriage, though, and is focused primarily on opposition to same-sex marriage.

“We do not oppose interracial marriage. The deceptively titled “Respect for Marriage Act” attempts to make marriage genderless, standing in direct contrast to Christian values, threatens traditional morality, and undermines states’ ability to determine their own standards based upon the beliefs and mores of their society. Please ask your Senator to vote ‘NO’ on H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act,” reads the text on the Centennial Institute’s petition

The Centennial Institute would not comment on if they’d support the federalization of interracial marriage.

Before the petition’s release, Hunt expressed his concerns over Colorado Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe O’Dea’s support for the Respect Marriage Act in an interview with radio pundit Dan Caplis on 630 a.m., KHOW.

Joe O’Dea, challenging incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet, is on record saying he was glad to see the H.R. 8404 pass in the House.

“You’ve got a lot of politicians in both political parties who spend way too much time trying to tell people how to live their lives,” O’Dea had said. “That’s just not me. I live my life. You live yours,” O’Dea said. “Let’s get on with solving the huge challenges facing the American people.”

Responding to O’Dea’s comments, Hunt said to Caplis, “The Republican nominee for [U.S.] Senate in Colorado is, quote, ‘glad to hear’ that we may have some Jack Phillips situations here? That’s disheartening. It’s disappointing to see both sides willing to embrace this approach.”

(more…)

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Colorado State Senate Candidate Tim Walsh Funded Far-Right Conspiracist’s Videos

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  by: Erik Maulbetsch July 29, 2022 at 11:57 AM MDT
(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

“I’ll get politics out of the classroom.”

Front Range developer Tim Walsh, who is running for state senate in Jefferson County, promises to “keep politics out of the classroom,” but he’s also funding a right-wing group with the opposite goal: teaching a conservative Christian version of American history to young people.

In December 2020, Walsh and his wife Lisa launched the Tim and Lisa Walsh Family Foundation. Other than its registration filing with the Colorado Secretary of State, no public records of the 501c3 nonprofit exist, and it’s currently listed as delinquent with the SOS for failing to file periodic paperwork.

The Colorado Times Recorder was only able to find one reference to the foundation’s activity: far-right conspiracist documentarian Dinesh D’Souza thanked Walsh’s foundation for its “generous donations” in a pair of acknowledgments at the end of two of short videos he made for right-wing curriculum outlet PragerU.

D’Souza’s most recent film, “2000 Mules,” is a widely debunked conspiracy movie that alleges without evidence that thousands of “ballot mules” cast illegal ballots in the 2020 election, flipping the results from Trump to Biden.

Prior to marketing the Big Lie, however, D’Souza made a name for himself as a far-right author and documentarian. His historical takes range from the dubious – he blames America’s “cultural left” for 9-11, to the absurd: “Was slavery a racist institution? No.”

More recently, D’Souza has produced numerous short videos for PragerU, a right-wing media farm founded by conservative talk show host Dennis Prager. PragerU specializes in shareable “explainer” videos with a conservative spin. It’s goal? “Promote American values through the creative use of educational videos that reach millions of people online. Serving all ages, our content offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.”

(more…)

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