Phil Weiser’s Pay-to-Play Pattern Continues in Gubernatorial Campaign

Will Weiser Return Conflict of Interest Campaign Contributions?

DENVER, CO — In case you missed it, new reporting by CBS Colorado’s Shaun Boyd details a troubling pattern of Phil Weiser accepting campaign contributions from lawyers associated with litigation in front of his office as Attorney General.

According to the report, Phil has “received about $75,000 from 68 attorneys at 12 law firms the AG’s office was engaged in litigation with or had just settled with.” As he campaigns for Governor, this discovery raises critical questions about who Phil is raising money from, why they are giving, and what agenda they are pushing for their corporate clients.

This report comes after Phil’s 2022 campaign acknowledged the conflict of interest and indicated that Weiser “refuses and returns any contributions from anyone tied to a pending investigation.”

This begs the question: Will Phil’s campaign commit to returning donations tied to lawyers with investigations and settlements with his office? So far, they have refused to do so.

This isn’t an isolated incident – it’s a long-standing habit. The new report builds on concerning fundraising practices by Phil Weiser, who has a history of raising money from corporate interests with business in front of his office and giving them special access and different treatment.

A new website, PaytoPlayPhil.com, documents Phil Weiser’s well-reported pattern of accepting contributions from corporations, lobbyists, and attorneys whose clients had business before the Colorado Attorney General’s office.

“Coloradans deserve a leader that fights for them, not one who cozies up with the corporate lawyers he’s negotiating settlements with,” said Nellie Moran, Bennet for Governor campaign manager. “As Coloradans begin to return their ballots, the difference in this race couldn’t be more clear. Michael Bennet fights for Coloradans, Phil Weiser fights for himself.”

Read more about Phil’s conflict of interest:

• [Phil Weiser’s] office settled a lawsuit against MC Global Holdings. The cannabis company agreed to pay a $50,000 fine for misrepresenting the health benefits of its hemp products.

• In the month leading up to the settlement and the month following it, 10 attorneys at the law firm representing the company donated a total of more than $6,000 to Weiser’s campaign.

• According to campaign finance reports reviewed by CBS Colorado, since Weiser announced his campaign for governor, he’s received about $75,000 from 68 attorneys at 12 law firms the AG’s office was engaged in litigation with or had just settled with.

• 66% of the donations were made within four months of the settlements. They average about $1,300 each.

• It’s not the first time Weiser has faced scrutiny over campaign contributions.

• Four years ago, he was running for re-election as AG, when the Denver Gazette ran a story about $40,000 in donations from people tied to Dish Network, even as the AG’s office probed whether the company had overcharged customers. DirecTV, and Comcast were under investigation for the same alleged misconduct.

• Weiser’s campaign told the Gazette he would return the money and said, “We cannot underscore it enough: Phil Weiser refuses and returns any contributions from anyone tied to a pending investigation.”

• His campaign hasn’t said if it plans to return the donations made to his current campaign flagged by CBS Colorado.

• Weiser’s spokesperson released a statement that didn’t address the timing of the donations…