CO-SEN: Ethics group calls for transparency from Gardner over wife's oil and gas clients
A Democratic-aligned ethics watchdog group is raising questions about whether Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has personally profited from oil and gas companies whose interests he has advanced in Congress.
A report, planned for release Friday, by the Congressional Integrity Project takes aim at High Plains Communications LLC, the small consulting firm owned by Gardner’s wife, Jaime, a former staffer for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Through the firm, Jaime Gardner has represented multiple clients with ties to the oil and gas industry, including the Consumer Energy Alliance, an “energy education” nonprofit funded by fossil-fuel companies.
“Given Cory Gardner’s previous position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and his current position on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Coloradans deserve to know how his family finances are intertwined with his public policy positions,” the report says. “Instead, the Gardners are concealing information about their potential conflicts.”
Representatives for Gardner’s campaign, his Senate office and the Colorado Republican Party did not return requests for comment.
Cory Gardner has consistently reported income from High Plains Communications on his Senate financial disclosures, indicating that the Gardners received at least $1,000 in income from the firm in each of the last six years. Congressional ethics rules, however, do not require senators to disclose the exact amount of income their spouses received.
https://coloradonewsline.com/2020/09/25/democratic-aligned-ethics-group-calls-for-transparency-from-gardner-over-wifes-oil-and-gas-clients/