GOP chair in El Paso County says Congressman Ken Buck told him to submit false election results
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A recorded audio conversation appears to show Colorado District 4 Congressman Ken Buck pressuring an El Paso County GOP official to falsify election results in the State Senate District 10 race.
The stunning revelation comes in a recording of a GOP state party phone call from District 10 GOP Chairman Eli Bremer. KRDO obtained a copy of the recording Friday from Bremer, and the conversation between Bremer and Buck happened on April 17.
The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office told KRDO no criminal charges have been filed with its office regarding the controversy.
The Colorado Attorney General's Office and state Ethics Commission declined say if they are investigating the matter.
In that phone call, Rep. Buck appears to tell Bremer that he should submit incorrect results showing that state senate hopeful David Stiver received at least 30% of the votes to qualify for the November ballot.
Rep. Larry Liston is running against Stiver in the primary for State Sen. Owen Hill's seat. For a candidate to be on the June primary ballot, a candidate must receive 30% of the vote from Republicans in their district.
Below is a transcript of a portion of that phone call:
Buck: “Do you understand the order of the executive committee and the central committee that you will submit the paperwork to include Mr. Stiver and Mr. Liston on the ballot, with Mr. Liston receiving the top-line vote?”
Bremer: “I will seek legal counsel as I am being asked to sign an affidavit that states Mr. Stiver received 30% of the vote. I need to seek legal counsel to find out if I am putting myself in jeopardy of a misdemeanor for doing that. ”
Buck: “And you understand that it is the order of the central committee that you do so?”
Bremer: “I will consult with counsel. Yes sir, I understand the central committee has ordered me to sign an affidavit stating that a candidate got 30% who did not, and I will seek legal counsel and determine if I am legally able to follow that.”
Buck: “All right, Mr. Bremer, I understand your position. We will now move on.”
KRDO reached out to Congressman Buck for comment but have not yet received a response.
Buck did, however, give a comment to the Denver Post, saying that he wasn't asking Bremer to commit fraud.
"I was asking Eli if he understood the decision of the central committee and if he was willing to follow the request of the Republican central committee," Buck said to the Post. “It wasn’t like I was asking him to do something because I have a personal stake in the process.”
The state Republican Party says it sides with Buck's assessment of the call.
“This situation has been exhaustively looked at by over 200 members of both the CRC Executive Committee (EC) and State Central Committee (SCC). After hearing testimony from both sides, the two committees voted to assign Mr. Stiver to the June primary ballot after finding many irregularities in the SD10 Assembly process. During the SCC meeting on April 17, 2020, Chairman Buck simply asked Mr. Bremer to acknowledge that he understood what the final decision of the committees was and that he abide by that decision," said Colorado GOP Spokesperson Joe Jackson.
