Coffman campaign files FEC complaint over 501(c)4 attack piece

Sixth Congressional District Republican candidate Mike Coffman's campaign filed a complaint Thursday with the Federal Election Commission that seeks to force a 501(c)4 group to disclose who paid for an anti-Coffman mailer sent out under the group's name.

The complaint alleges that the group, Protect Colorado Jobs, broke federal law when one of its officers, Denver consultant Curt Cerveny, arranged for and produced a mailer sent to every registered Republican in the 6th District late last month.

The Coffman campaign cited federal election law stating that it's illegal for federal political campaigns to launder campaign funds through a non-profit corporation to evade contribution limits.

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, John Berry, the registered agent and secretary-treasurer for Protect Colorado Jobs, said he had just received the complaint and wanted to read it before commenting.

The $15,000 mailer was paid for by two supporters of Coffman primary opponent Wil Armstrong, a source previously told PolitickerCO.com. However, Armstrong's campaign has repeatedly denied having any knowledge about or involvement with the piece.

Armstrong manager Jack Stansbery declined to comment on the complaint Thursday.

Protect Colorado Jobs said Cerveny raised the money for the piece and produced it without their knowledge. Cerveny resigned from the group soon after his role in the piece was made public.

But Coffman manager Dustin Zvonek said in a statement that the group "has not come clean on who prepared the mailing, how it was paid for, and on whose behalf it was sent out."

The FEC complaint is intended to force that information out into the open, Zvonek told PolitickerCO.com. 

While there's almost zero chance the complaint will be settled before the primary election next Tuesday, Zvonek said it was a matter of principle.

"We don't want to sit back and say, ‘let's just let everyone get away with it and there's nothing we can do about it," Zvonek said.