Ritter tells Suthers to look into Newsome spending
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday told Attorney General John Suthers to investigate questionable travel expenses by 4th Judicial District Attorney John Newsome.
Suthers, in turn, appointed two former state prosecutors to act as special assistant attorneys general because Newsome and his political opponent, Dan May, used to work for Suthers when he was the district attorney in the 4th Judicial District.
Agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are investigating the matter, after a July 14 request by Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs.
The release from Ritter's office said the allegations involve "misspent taxpayer funds."
"Because the allegations against Mr. Newsome concern official misconduct, it is not appropriate to request a sitting district attorney in another judicial district to investigate the matter," Ritter's release states as his reason for bringing Suthers' office into the investigation.
Ritter's request, as did Morse's, are based on facts brought to light in a June 24 Gazette story about a trip Newsome took to Chicago in October. Newsome went with a Colorado Springs police detective to interview witnesses in a death penalty case. After the interviews, he and detective Derek Graham drove to South Bend, Ind., and attended a college football game.
For months, taxpayers were left with $699 worth of hotel bills, per diem and rental car expenses for the extra days on the trip. Newsome wrote El Paso County a check for $584.90 on April 24, according to records obtained by The Gazette. A KOAA reporter had asked for those travel records April 1.
"We view this as a positive development in that CBI will now have legal direction in any investigation," Newsome said in an e-mail Monday. "This is the same matter publicly raised weeks ago by Democratic Sen. John Morse. We are looking forward to a speedy conclusion to this obviously political complaint.
It is completely normal for law enforcement to have legal advice; we welcome this announcement and stand willing and able to offer full cooperation. This has been the case for months."
Newsome has denied wrongdoing and said he had flagged the trip to his accounting department so he could pay it back before the department's annual audit in May. A Colorado law prohibits an elected official from "using of public money for the official's own gain."
CBI spokesman Lance Clem said "a high-level investigator" has been working on the case since July 15. He said it's too early to speculate when the investigation will be complete.
Suthers appointed former district attorneys Stuart Van-Meveren of Larimer County and Al Dominguez of Weld County as special assistant attorneys general "to avoid any appearance of any possible bias in this investigation," according to a letter Suthers sent the prosecutors.
May, a chief deputy 18th District attorney, is running against Newsome in the Aug. 12 GOP primary election. Because no Democrat is running, the winner Aug. 12 will be the district attorney.
