A state lawmaker is demanding an investigation as to whether Jared Polis’s business is profiting from his official actions as governor, including the legalization of sports betting.
State Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg also asked the Legislative Audit Committee this week to investigate the state’s promotion and marketing of a $24 million industrial building in which Polis is a managing partner, by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Colorado Politics obtained Sonnenberg’s letter calling for a review and stronger laws that require detailed financial disclosures of the governor’s business dealings.
Sonnenberg wrote:
“When comparing his filings from his time in Congress to governor, Governor Polis is now sharing less information about his company and holdings in private equity funds, real estate, and other ‘special opportunity fund’ investments, despite the fact that as governor he has a far greater risk of taking official actions that financially benefits his private business interests.”
For example, Polis invested in the online sports betting company FanDuel while a member of Congress in 2015 and was still invested in the company after he took office as governor. Those disclosures were made clear in a crossover congressional discloses released after Polis took office as governor, but it was never revealed in state mandated disclosure so it’s unknown whether he’s still making bank on the books.
When asked about it, the governor’s office insists he’s met all the state financial disclosure laws, and yet those disclosures fail to answer critical questions, like, is he still invested in FanDuel and did he profit from the legalization of online sports betting?
Colorado Politics reports that FanDuel made a $250,000 contribution toward the passage of the Colorado ballot initiative, after Polis signed the bill authorizing sports betting be put to a statewide vote.
Once betting became legal, Polis appointed all the members of the state’s gaming commission including one of his former congressional staffers, Shawn Coleman, who is also a registered lobbyist.
Long story short, FanDuel was awarded a Colorado gaming license in 2020, so it’s kind of very important that Polis divulge his investments in the company.
Sonnenberg’s findings demand a thorough investigation by the committee. Unfortunately, this is the very same panel that passed on examining the unethical travel habits of former Gov. Hickenlooper, so we don’t hold out much hope.
It will be up to the voters to hold Polis accountable and demand real answers from the governor’s office, plus a complete financial disclosure of his businesses that are benefiting from his gubernatorial authority.