GOP rift has roots beyond Bradford’s DUI stop

By Charles Ashby
Friday, February 3, 2012

Rep. Laura Bradford is the unofficial leader of the House chorus.

That means that whenever there’s a birthday for a fellow representative, the Collbran Republican leads the chorus in singing “Happy Birthday” on the floor of the House.

On Thursday, nearly a week into her scandal involving ethics issues of legislative privilege and drinking and driving, and a day after she openly battled with House leaders over it, it was House Speaker Frank McNulty’s 39th birthday.

This time, however, Bradford didn’t lead the House in song. Instead, she stood in the back of the House chamber as someone else led the chorus in wishing the GOP leader a happy birthday.

That point did not go unnoticed by many, and it underscores the division that had developed between Bradford and McNulty and the rest of the House GOP leadership.

At the end of last year’s session, numerous Republicans made it clear they didn’t always get along with Bradford because she didn’t always toe the party line. Some said they wanted to see her leave the House, suggesting she run for the Mesa County Commission instead.

Bradford considered that option, but ultimately decided in September to seek a third term in the House. At the time, she said she was looking forward to “a better political atmosphere” in the Legislature.

So far, she hasn’t gotten that.

Bradford explained her rare deviation from the party line with :“When I’m considering a bill, first I consider my conscience, then what’s good for my constituents and then the (GOP) caucus. It’s a good day when those three things line up, but they don’t always.”

As a result of recent troubles, Bradford may end up leaving the Republican Party. In her obvious anger, she threatened to become unaffiliated or a Democrat, a move that could cost the GOP its one-vote majority in the 65-member House.

Her troubles began last week when Bradford left a downtown bar after having drinks and dinner with legislators, lobbyists and even members of the media.

Such after-hours socializing is common during the 120-day session, particularly for legislators who are far away from home.

Bradford is no exception, but the evening of Jan. 25 proved to be different. Bradford was pulled over by the Denver Police Department on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Instead of being cited for DUI, however, she was issued two minor traffic tickets.

Two days later, after a Denver television reporter got hold of the story, citing a police allegation that Bradford invoked a little-known constitutional clause that prevented them from detaining her long enough to check her blood-alcohol level, McNulty wasted no time that day taking her off the House Local Government Committee, stripping her chairmanship of that panel in the process.

All the while, Bradford maintained her innocence, but no one listened.

The following week, at the exact same moment McNulty was ordering an ethics committee to investigate Bradford, Denver police officials reversed themselves and apologized to Bradford, saying a police supervisor withheld information and lied about her invoking the privilege.

That sergeant now is under investigation by the department’s internal affairs unit.

But rather than reverse his decision, McNulty insisted the ethics probe needs to go forward, further infuriating Bradford, who said the ethics panel should be dissolved because she had been completely exonerated.

That ethics committee, made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, is to hold its first meeting Monday.

While some Republicans have castigated McNulty for deciding to go ahead with the ethics investigation, others in the GOP are defending it, including Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction.

“It is reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances for an impartial ethics panel to look at the incident and determine the true facts,” said King, who faced an ethics probe of his own last year over his handling of travel expenses. “I am sure all parties associated with this unfortunate incident want transparency and the ability to assure the public that this is completely and fairly investigated.”

Bradford now agrees, saying Friday that while she doesn’t understand why the ethics committee is looking into something she’s already been exonerated for, she does agree it is important for the public to see that all aspects of the incident are fully investigated.

All of this has set the stage for what is yet to come.

As her anger snowballed over the past week, Bradford threatened to leave the party, including opening the possibility of turning the GOP-controlled House over to the Democrats.

The Collbran businesswoman initially planned to make a decision by Friday, but on the advice of several people, including her husband, Linton Mathews, she decided to wait.

Instead, Bradford plans to defend herself before that ethics panel and challenge the traffic citations issued by Denver police.

She also decided she won’t become a Democrat or resign her seat.

“That’s completely off the table,” Bradford said in an interview. “Now, I want the ethics committee to do its work, and when I’m exonerated by them, we’ll see what happens next.”

While Bradford hasn’t yet decided if she’ll leave the party, her husband already has.

Before heading to The Daily Sentinel’s offices to talk about the incident Friday, Bradford and Mathews stopped by the Mesa County Courthouse. That’s when Mathews dropped out of the Republican Party and switched to unaffiliated, saying it was something he’s been considering for several years.

“This was just the last straw,” he said.