Contact Matt Arnold, Director of Campaign Integrity Watchdog, with any questions campaignintegritywatchdog@gmail.com (303) 995-5533 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ### East Coast Politicians Meddle in Colorado Primaries, Held Accountable for state law violations Group fronting for RGA (run by Chris Christie) and RAGA (John Suthers on Executive Board), through Mitt Romney-affiliated PAC, violated Colorado campaign finance laws meddling in Colorado's gubernatorial primary East Coast politicians and special-interest groups meddling in Colorado's gubernatorial primary election violated Colorado's campaign finance laws in an ultimately failed attempt to buy the governor's office in our state. Although it was widely known and reported that East Coast "Republicans" meddled in Colorado's gubernatorial primary (Chris Christie's Republican Governors Association, RGA funneled campaign cash via the Republican Attorneys General Association, RAGA - where AG John Suthers sits on the executive committee - through a Boston-based PAC with ties to Mitt Romney), most people thought that it was just another example of dirty (but legal) politicking. However, after extensive research and review of state campaign finance laws, Campaign Integrity Watchdog filed a court action last week to hold the PAC fronting for the laundered East-Coast big-money contributors accountable for multiple violations of our state's campaign finance laws. The East-Coast PAC, "Campaign for Jobs and Opportunity" committed multiple violations of state law that could result in fines and penalties of over $500,000. "If you're going to throw your money around and meddle in Colorado politics - you'd better understand and play by our state's rules," said Matt Arnold, Director of Campaign Integrity Watchdog. "Ignorance of OUR laws - when you're trying to buy the governor's office in OUR state - is no excuse." Mr. Arnold continued, “Additionally, it’s hard to imagine that someone like Chris Christie, the head of the RGA, and Mr. Suthers, an executive board member of RAGA, didn’t know about the $155,000 put into these ads by their organizations. In fact, it seems like everyone in Colorado claimed no knowledge of this stealth move to manipulate Colorado elections… which either means there are a lot of liars in Colorado or East Coast Politicians really were running the show here in 2014. Either one of these sticks in the craw of this native Coloradoan.” Will Chris Christie's RGA, John Suthers' RAGA, and/or Mitt Romney’s Boston-based “Campaign for Jobs and Opportunity PAC” step up to bail out their Colorado front groups - or leave them swinging in the breeze? ### Some background links: http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_26232785/group-gop-governors-assn-funneled-campaign-cash-hurt http://coloradopols.com/diary/61010/fallout-from-rgaraga-scandal-will-seriously-harm-coffman-campaign http://www.citizensforethics.org/blog/entry/did-the-republican-governors-assoc-funnel-cash-in-colorado-gop-primary