VOL. 01 NO. 203 | DECEMBER 12, 2016 | COLORADOSTATESMAN.COM/THE-HOT-SHEET | © 2016

DENVER – A state representative going to jail during the holidays? For the first time in decades … Oh my! Wasn’t there something about this in the Book of Revelations? Goodness. Good morning, and happy Monday. We guess it’s happy. But it’s sort of just a cold Monday. Stop it, stop it. Positive thoughts!

HAPPY MONDAY! And positive vibes sent to all of you out there fighting through traffic or through your massive inbox pile stacked to the roof from inside your dreadful little cubicles.

Only 29 days until the first day of school … we mean legislative session, class! Good grief, there we go with the negative vibes again. Sorry.

Onward to our smarmy dive into the speculative news that comes but once every presidential changing of the guard …

The First Shot

“… he’ll be out by Christmas.”

– Sharon D. Liko, men’s rights attorney for state Rep. Tim Leonard

Tim Leonard’s personal life splashed across Colorado’s front pages

Our hearts go out to state Rep. Tim Leonard, his wife and children about right now over a saga that ended with Leonard now serving the third day of his 14 day jail sentence for contempt of court in a family court matter.

Wonder what they are serving today? Hopefully not that meatloaf that looks like the creature from the black lagoon … anyway, we digress.

The jailing incident related to Leonard’s refusal to comply with a court order regarding educational decision-making for his children in an ongoing, ugly dispute with his ex-wife. Leonard’s fate rested in the hands of Jefferson County Magistrate Marianne Tims, and she decided to throw the book at Leonard … well, sort of, but not really. The maximum sentence was six months. Leonard will be out by Christmas.

Outgoing House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst threw the book at Leonard too, the book of “How to Write a Gotcha News Release,” that is.

“It is absurd to imagine Rep. Leonard taking a seat on the House Education Committee, to which he was appointed just last week by Minority Leader Neville, and making important decisions for Colorado’s students when a judge has prohibited Rep. Leonard from making educational decisions regarding his own children,” Hullinghorst said in a statement.

Wow, where is Hullinghorst’s holiday spirit? Apparently the Grinch stole it.

“Jail time for not signing two forms was egregious,” conservative state Rep. Justin Everett, R-Littleton, told The Colorado Statesman, defending his colleague. “That’s a major judicial over-reach. From my perspective, the magistrate just wanted, for whatever reason, to throw the book at him.”

Leonard is already talking about running a bill to clarify the law in educational decision-making during parental disputes … (pause for deep thought) …

… Ummm, we think you might have to take a 21C on that issue now, Rep. Leonard. But good luck. And if you need anything, like delivery changes for your Statesman for the next two weeks or for us to order some gifts on Amazon, just let us know (no we won’t send you a cake with a file in it, sorry) …

Read the full story in The Statesman here

Crybaby electors head to court

Legal. Chaos.

Two whiny Colorado electors with a penchant for drowning the U.S. Constitution in their baby tears are headed to court this week. The state of Colorado will go to court to defend an election law binding its electors to the winner of the popular vote in presidential contests – in this case Hillary Clinton – as two members of the Electoral College sue to invalidate it.

Why?

Because they want to send ripples through all the land, unbinding electors everywhere to be able to vote for an alternative candidate to Donald Trump. These people, ahem, Polly Baca and Robert Nemanich,  really need to read their Constitutions and then reflect on the Founders’ intent. The Electoral College was never designed to be a popularity contest, which would topple the nation into even more destructive – potentially even violent – urban vs. rural conflict.

Gross … just gross. Congratulations on your infantile behavior, you two, but we can’t say good luck.

(This section written as we believe Secretary of State Wayne Williams might have written it … er, as Lynn Bartels would have written it for him.)

A merits hearing on Williams’s petition to stop the lawsuit is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Full stories here and here

ICYMI: Remember Scott Gessler? He wants to be your US Attorney … oh yeah, and so do David Blake and Jason Dunn

Chief Colorado Deputy Attorney General David Blake and former Secretary of State Scott “Honey-badger” Gessler who is now an a practicing attorney in his private firm Klenda Gessler and Blueare (wasn’t he always?) are said to be in the running for U.S. Attorney under the new Trump administration according to reports.

Scott Gessler

Both men would like to fill the vacancy for the District of Colorado top-attorney slot, and the Trump transition team allegedly thinks they would both be formidable candidates.

But they aren’t the only ones. Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler (who isn’t interested because he wants to run for governor in 2018) and heavyweight Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck attorney Jason Dunn, who we are told would be honored to fill the position, are names that have been dropped as well.

Jason Dunn

Blake, who is not pictured here to protect his image from such a highly speculative piece of writing, is said to be the most serious candidate for the post given his resume.

For more names and info via some highly speculative reporting visit here.

Ken Buck continues to be appalled by the incestual nature of Washington

Photos do speak 1,000 words. When it comes to news conference ball-spiking-money-shots after legislation is passed, and you’re not in them … that can say a lot too. State Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver – by now a Washington D.C. fixture – appears alongside a host of other Congresscritters – like, top-level ones – in a bipartisan, all-smiles glamour shot after the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, a large bill aimed at providing breakthrough treatments to patients faster.

U.S. Rep. Ken “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” Buck wasn’t there, nor did he have any interest in being there, stating, “21st Century Cures is a multi-billion dollar fraud that redistributes wealth from our grandchildren to the corporate healthcare cartel. Coloradans’ health insurance premiums are skyrocketing because of government interference. This town is sick with corruption and it won’t be cured with this bill in the 21st Century.”

On the extreme other side of the aisle, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren thinks the bill is just trash as well.

Read the full story in The Statesman here.

More name dropping: Three out of 21 ain’t bad

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid – appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to the bench – and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Neil Gorsuch and Timothy Tymkovich are all on the list of what is claimed to be 21 people under consideration by President-elect Donald Trump to fill the SCOTUS vacancy created by the death of Antonin Scalia. Eid was recommended to the Colorado high court by an influential man she clerked for – Justice Clarence Thomas.

Allison Eid

His thoughts: “Allison did not vacillate because others disagreed,” Thomas wrote. “Rather, she engaged in constructive debate about very difficult matters, always looking for a way to solve the problem.”

This according to a report from the Denver Post, which profiled Colorado’s other two candidates as well, and speculated on Eid’s legal style given her clerkship for Thomas.

Will the United States’ next Supreme Court justice be plucked like a columbine flower from Colorado’s alpine garden (that was kinda poetic … cool!)? Hard to say, but a lot of reporters who love to ruminate would love to think so. Good luck to each of our three candidates in the lineup!

For today, that is all. Here are some cartoons to satiate your artistic senses …

Just for Laughs

Calendar

12/14             Aurora Republican Women Luncheon

12/15             Colorado Hispanic Republicans Meet n Greet

ACDP Executive Board Regular Meeting

12/16             CRBA Monthly Meeting

12/19            ACDP Executive Board Regular Meeting

1/19               ACDP Executive Board Regular Meeting

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