Thread by @JustinWingerter

In the past 36 hours, U.S. Senate candidate John @Hickenlooper has lost two court cases and been held in contempt.

Colorado's ethics commission will now consider how to punish his contempt and, later, weigh whether he broke ethics laws.

I'll tweet updates. #cosen #copolitics

Hickenlooper is not currently on the video conference but is available to testify, according to his attorney.

The commission seems to have softened when it comes to punishing Hickenlooper. They're eager to hear his testimony before they considering sanctioning #cosen #copolitics

John Hickenlooper has arrived, in a shirt and tie, on the video conference. Suzanne Staiert, with the Public Trust Institute, has begun quizzing him.

"I support Amendment 41, yes," Hickenlooper says, referring to the gift ban he's accused of violating. #cosen #copolitics

Hickenlooper is testifying about the Bilderberg meeting trip in 2018 and the allegation he was given gifts and freebies by Fiat-Chrysler, the meeting host.

Hickenlooper reiterates his position: That he thought he paid for everything when he paid a flat fee. #cosen #copolitics

Suzanne Staiert is questioning how Hickenlooper could believe a $1,500 fee would cover travel and a long list of luxuries.

"It didn't seem unusual to me, the cost," he says.

“At that time, I felt I was paying the full cost and complying in every way with Amendment 41.” #cosen

Hickenlooper's defense for flying on the corporate jet of MDC Holdings, rather than flying commercial, in 2018 is that it saved time.

“I can’t overemphasize the demands on my schedule and how important some of them are."

MDC is run by Larry Mizel, a Hickenlooper donor. #cosen

I took a break from tweeting to do some writing. I should have an updated story for you soon.

Meanwhile, the ethics commission has returned from lunch to hear closing arguments after hours of testimony from Hickenlooper. #cosen #copolitics

"There was an appearance of impropriety in all of these trips the governor testified about," says Suzanne Staiert with the Public Trust Institute in her closing presentation. "That's because they were all given by corporations." #cosen #copolitics

"His final defense is he didn't know," Staiert says of the Bilderberg trip.

She's arguing no reasonable person would think $1,500, which Hickenlooper paid, could cover that high-end trip.

"The defense of I didn't ask and I didn't know should not be a defense for anyone." #cosen

Staiert: “None of the trips were from friends because they were all owned by corporations.”

This is a paperwork quirk that could be the difference between guilty and innocent. The jets were not owned by Hickenlooper's friends, they were owned by the friends' corporations. #cosen

Mark Grueskin, Hickenlooper's defense attorney: “In order to accept anything, there has to be an attempt to accept."

Grueskin argues that on the Bilderberg trip, Hickenlooper didn't know he was accepting gifts and never intended to. #cosen #copolitics

John Hickenlooper's defense attorney, Mark Grueskin, on the ramifications of this ethics case: “My guess is we’ll be living with this in the political discourse for weeks, or maybe months, I don’t know.”

That's probably a safe bet. #cosen #copolitics

Grueskin continues to argue Hickenlooper did not know he was accepting the Bilderberg gifts. He compares Hickenlopper to someone who grabs the wrong briefcase.

“If you don’t know that you have received something, how in the world can you be responsible for rejecting it?" #cosen

Suzanne Staiert, with the Public Trust Institute, counters: "When the car pulled up to take him to Bilderberg and he got in the car, he accepted it." #cosen #copolitics

Colorado's Independent Ethics Commission is now deliberating in the Hickenlooper case.

On Hickenlooper's MDC Holdings flight, several are ready to find him in violation.

Commissioner Leone: “I think I would find a violation.”
Commissioner Johnson: "I see it as a true gift."

Commissioner Bill Leone on Hickenlooper's flight on an MDC Holdings corporate jet:

“I’m concerned that if we allow this kind of special, privately-financed treatment for elected officials, it just accentuates the cynicism that led to Amendment 41.” #cosen #copolitics

Colorado's Independent Ethics Commission is voting on each allegation one at a time. First up, did Hickenlooper violate the state constitution by accepting a flight and VIP dinners from MDC Holdings in March 2018?

The commission votes 4-1 finding Hickenlooper in violation.

On the second allegation, related to a flight Hickenlooper received from billionaire friend Ken Tuchman, the commission votes 5-0 to find NO violation.

There are six allegations. Clearly, we're getting a mix of rulings from the Independent Ethics Commission. #cosen #copolitics

The third allegation is about the Kimbal Musk trip. Hickenlooper flew on Musk's company's jet after officiating his Texas wedding.

After several commissioners said they were on the fence, they vote to find there was NO violation, 4-1. #cosen #copolitics

The fourth allegation is about the Bilderberg trip to Italy, arguably the most attention-grabbing. Hickenlooper paid a fee and says he thought it covered all costs. The corporate sponsor has said it did not.

The commission votes 5-0 to find a violation. #cosen #copolitics

If you're keeping score at home, Hickenlooper has been found in violation twice and found not to be in violation twice.

The ethics commission chair says the meeting will end at 6 p.m., in about 40 minutes. #cosen #copolitics

The fifth allegation, arguably the weakest, is about a Jackson Hole flight on a private plane owned by Hickenlooper's chief of staff. The chief of staff is a friend, so it's an exception.

Colorado's Independent Ethics Commission votes 5-0 to find NO violation. #cosen #copolitics

The sixth and final allegation also concerns a flight on a private plane owned by Hickenlooper's chief of staff.

Colorado's Independent Ethics Commission quickly votes 5-0 to find NO violation.

That's two violations, four non-violations. #cosen #copolitics

denverpost.com/2020/06/05/hic…