Tenth Judicial District Attorney Bill Thiebaut has dismissed a legal complaint against the campaign of Congressman Doug Lamborn that was filed early this month over a television ad, and said no charges will be filed.
Karla Heard-Price filed a complaint with Colorado Springs District Attorney Dan May earlier this month, alleging that Lamborn’s campaign had broken the law by slandering a bank that was co-founded by Robert Blaha, who is running against Lamborn in the GOP primary. The complaint was forwarded to Thiebaut, of Pueblo, because May has endorsed Lamborn in the past.
Thiebaut wrote to Heard-Price on Friday that he had found no evidence that Lamborn had broken the law.
Lamborn’s ad alleged that the bank, Integrity Bank and Trust, was “one of the worst in the region.” But, as Heard-Price noted, the ad’s source found in December that the bank “exhibited a generally satisfactory condition.” Both citations were from www.bankrate.com.
Lamborn has said since that the ad was referring to a rating long since past, and so Heard-Price’s complaint didn’t apply. In addition, Heard-Price has worked as a volunteer on Blaha’s campaign. Also, the bank was not a party to the complaint. It was filed by Heard-Price alone.
Thiebaut dismissed the complaint for entirely different reasons.
The law Heard-Price said Lamborn’s campaign was breaking requires that any untrue allegations against a bank must result in a significant decrease in public confidence in a bank, or in an “extraordinary withdrawal of funds.” The law also requires a person to have made a “derogatory false statement” about the bank.
Breaking the law is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
But Lamborn’s ad neither caused a huge withdrawal or damaged the bank’s reputation, wrote Thiebaut. And whether it made a “derogatory false statement” was unlikely, he wrote.
Thiebaut did write that Lamborn’s ad took a complex subject and used it “to suit his political purposes.” But he said Heard-Price had not presented any evidence to prove that he knew it was a false statement.
Lamborn spokeswoman Catherine Mortensen said in a statement that the complaint was part of “a disturbing pattern” of Blaha and his supporters making baseless allegations.
“This shows why Mr. Blaha lacks credibility in this campaign and why so many people are not taking him seriously,” Mortensen said.
Blaha replied that he’d had nothing to do with the complaint, and pointed out that Integrity hadn’t, either.
“To the best of my knowledge, no one in my campaign was contacted,” said Blaha. “Ms. Price can do whatever she wants to do.”
He criticized Thiebaut slightly, and said it appeared to him that the DA hadn’t investigated at all, but merely relied on the allegations Heard-Price wrote about.
“I thought that’s what DA’s are supposed to do — investigate,” Blaha said.
Cat says people aren’t taking Blaha seriously? Record voter turn-out suggests otherwise. What will she say when she is unemployed on Wednesday?
I bet its all the “establishment” ganging up on Blaha! Right? The same reason the congressional ethics committee threw out Blaha’s last complaint on franking. Its all a vast conspiracy to keep Blaha out of office! (sarcasm) He’s right though, I’m sure the Dems on the ethics committee and the Dem Pueblo DA are definitely teaming up with Lamborn (sarcasm). On Tuesday night I predict we hear more of this blame game when Blaha loses (serious)
Ahhh…A Blaha voter, aren’t you, Glen? Your stupidity gave you away. IF Blaha wins (= CD-5 LOSES), he would not take office until 20 January, 2013. I hope he’d use the intervening time to get up to speed on Congressional procedures and history.
So by my calculation using data from wikipedia, the 2008 primary had 56,780 voters and the 2006 primary had 56,092 voters. El Paso county has about 85% of the voters in it which means about 47,600 people from El Paso county voted in the R primaries.
As of yesterday there has been 38,912 ballots returned, which is about 81% of previous year’s primary turnout. That means we’re still behind 20% and the ballots have been out three and a half weeks with a couple more days to return them.
How does this add up to record ballot returning? I think the conventional wisdom would say a mid-summer mail-in primary gets low turnout. I could be wrong, just wondering where this “high turnout” idea is coming from.
Um, Blaha peeps? You might want to send someone to pick up the downed signs that were in the median on N. Nevada up near the Austin Bluffs intersection. I’d hate for someone to puncture a tire on the metal support thingies. Tomorrow’s headline: Blowhard Blaha Sues the Wind for Vandalizing Signs…
Per EPC Recorder, 43,204 ballots cast in El Paso GOP as of noon today. It’s a landslide. Watch and cry.
And Lambornites are desperate for any action, especially calling this a victory. Wasn’t Blaha who filed but a concerned citizen.
GEEZ!! Easy strange lady as of course I understand the process of when congressmen take office. Chris is right about the ballots being turned in and there will be a record turnout.
You got to factor in about 10 or 12k more from other counties aside from EPC. EPC by itself will hit at least 50k. As it stands, looking at record turn-out around 60k.
It’s all over on Tues……and no matter the outcome…..out district has seen the real face of DL…and it’s not as clean as the white driven snow.
Still think Blaha will take this one.
Park County wants a representative that will represent the people. From what we learned about Lamborn, he should have just shut down the Buena Vista office. It would have saved money because they did nothing to represent us
I didn’t realize slander was different for banks. Don’t you guys all think corporations are people?
Can someone explain to me why “record turnout” of a few thousand more votes cast above 47,000, meaning about a 6% increase matters for any candidate? Unless in Blaha’s case he’s trying to rally troops or something, its unclear
Blah, Blah, Blah….Lamborn with turn back this idiot!
49,042 is GOP turnout right now in EPC only.
I didn’t hear that the campaign was “exhonorated”. I heard the suit was dismissed because even though the claim made in the ad was false, the bank suffered no harm as a result.
Theibault was PAID OFF
Doug Lamborn and the people who seriously just re-elected him are fucking idiots! The reason C.Springs is going to burn to the ground is because of Doug Lamborn.
Looks like Blaha supporters are just as much as sore losers as Blaha himself. Blaha came out of the gates swinging and is still throwing punches on his downfall. Guy apparently was raised on how to lose. As for those who blame the Waldo Canyon Fire for this loss, you all are pitiful for making that argument.
I am so proud of Mr. Blaha and the race he ran. At least he was honest throughout his campaign unlike Lamborn. Shame the district didn’t see that. I don’t think Blaha is done though….I see him running again