• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Markey Asks For Criminal Inquiry On Musgrave Claim

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Sep 25, 2008 4:59 am US/Mountain

Markey Asks For Criminal Inquiry On Musgrave Claim

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) ― Democratic congressional candidate Betsy Markey has asked for a criminal investigation of campaign claims by her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, saying Musgrave is lying.

Markey says Musgrave is falsely claiming that Markey used her position on the staff of Sen. Ken Salazar to get government contracts for her family's business, Syscom Services Inc.

"(Musgrave) has yet to produce any evidence to support her lies, and by continuing to make false statements, she's directly contradicting reports that have shown her accusations to be lies," Markey campaign spokesman Ben Marter told the Greeley Tribune in Thursday's editions.

Musgrave campaign spokesman Jason Thielman said it's Markey who is lying.

"There's no way you can look at this and say (Markey) and her company were acting in the right," Thielman said. "The bottom line is that (Markey) hasn't told the truth."

He said the campaign isn't worried that Musgrave will be charged.

Musgrave and Markey are locked in a battle for the sprawling 4th Congressional District, which includes most of eastern and northeastern Colorado. Musgrave is seeking a fourth term.

The Fort Collins Coloradoan reported this week that the federal General Services Administration, the government's biggest acquisition agency, found no evidence that Markey or her company had done anything improper while Markey was on Salazar's staff.

At the Coloradoan's request, the GSA reviewed government contracts awarded to Syscom between 2005 and 2007, when Markey worked as an aide to Salazar. The agency said it had no record of Markey or any Salazar staffer intervening on behalf of Syscom in the contract award process.

Syscom offers consultation services on Web sites, electronic communications and data processing.

Markey sent a letter to the Larimer County district attorney last week asking for an investigation of Musgrave's claims. The request was forwarded to a bipartisan panel of the Colorado District Attorney's Council, which will make a recommendation to Larimer County prosecutors.

Colorado law makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly or recklessly make false statements to affect an election.

Ted Tow, executive director of the council, said he did not know how long that would take but said he doesn't believe the panel has met to discuss the allegations yet.

"They typically want to resolve them relatively quickly," he said.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Politics

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.