Another Truth Challenged Republican

Dan Maes of Colorado, the Tea Party guy and the Republican gubernatorial candidate, has been exposed as a man who is truth challenged. Mr Maes has been caught embellishing his record. He claimed that years ago he worked undercover with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Yeah -- Mr. Maes was trying to fool folks into believing  that he is a tough law and order guy with a record to prove it. Mr. Maes must have forgotten that records can be fact checked. Well, he had to back off his tough cop claim. Caught in that lie, and backed into a corner by questions which have been raised as to his character and credibility, Mr. Maes is experiencing a loss of support.

Mr. Maes has lost the support of several backers, including former Sen. Hank Brown, and there are calls from Republicans that Mr. Maes should drop out of the race. Mr. Maes says he’s “not going anywhere.” With so many supporters abandoning him, I surmise that is a statement with some truth.

The Denver Daily News reports:

Questions over Maes’ character and credibility surfaced after he was forced to back off on claims that he worked “undercover” with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation 25 years ago as a police officer. Maes had originally suggested that he was dismissed from his position with the department because he got “too close” to the case. But law enforcement in Kansas disputed the claim when interviewed by the Denver Post.

The controversy has not been Maes’ first since hitting the campaign trail. Campaign finance violations have also been raised related to recouping more than $42,000 from his campaign for mileage. Maes also acknowledged never gathering employer and occupation information from donors.

Maes has also refused to release his full 2009 tax returns to the public. When asked whether he would release the return, Maes said there were still “unresolved issues” for his accountant to work out. When asked if that included an audit, Maes said he did not know, and that his wife handles all the financials in their household.

Maes has released his earlier returns to a conservative Web site, but much of the information was redacted.

Oh my. The Tea Party blindsides the Republicans once again.