Denver DA launches criminal probe of Secretary of State Scott Gessler

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey's office confirmed Monday it had launched a criminal investigation of Secretary of State Scott Gessler on the same afternoon the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission voted to begin an investigation into whether Gessler violated the law by using state funds to attend a partisan event.

The commission, on a 4-0 vote, decided that the complaint filed by liberal-leaning Colorado Ethics Watch against Gessler, a Republican who is the swing state's chief elections administrator, was "not frivolous" and should be investigated by staff. The commission also decided to investigate a separate complaint by Colorado Ethics Watch that Gessler improperly took money from his office's discretionary account.

In an e-mail statement to The Denver Post, Morrissey's office spokesman Lynn Kimbrough confirmed that a criminal probe also had been launched.

"There is now a formal criminal investigation into the allegations," Kimbrough said.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21935337/ethics-commission-launches-probe-gessler-over-spending#ixzz2BSXuEoTN