DENVER—Republican Rep. Mike Coffman is asking the Justice Department to investigate whether U.S. attorney nominee Stephanie Villafuerte played a role in improperly accessing a restricted database during Gov. Bill Ritter’s gubernatorial campaign.
Villafuerte, a former Denver prosecutor, worked on Ritter’s campaign and now serves as his deputy chief of staff. The White House has nominated her to be Colorado’s U.S. attorney.
In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday, Coffman said questions remain on whether she played a role in accessing the same database that led to criminal charges against federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis.
Voorhis was acquitted of charges he illegally got information from a restricted criminal database that ended up in a political aid criticizing Gov. Bill Ritter. Voorhis lost his job and is appealing his termination.
The Denver district attorney’s office accessed the database after calls from Ritter’s campaign, but says it was part of regular DA business.
Ritter, a Democrat, has said he doesn’t think Villafuerte did anything wrong. A spokesman for his office didn’t return a call seeking comment.
The Denver Post reported Friday that U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has asked that consideration of Villafuerte’s nomination be delayed because her record is “incomplete.”
