A government watchdog group criticized the state’s attorney general for stepping in as legal counsel to the new Independent Ethics Commission, saying in a statement Tuesday that the setup presents unavoidable conflicts of interest.
Attorney General John Suthers on Monday told the commission, responsible for forming ethics rules, that his office would do its lawyering unless lawmakers allow an outside attorney.
Suthers’ office by law acts as counsel for all state agencies, an attorney general spokesman said.
Chantell Taylor, head of the non-profit Colorado Ethics Watch, says the commission should be independent of the executive branch.
Every commission decision – like figuring out how to apply the recent gift ban for public officials – will effect state employees like Suthers’staff, she said.
