None the Weiser July Column in Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle

Ashe in America

Jul 13, 2025

Attorney General of Colorado Phil Weiser is campaigning to be Governor. His campaign is clear that he sees no lines between his official authority and his political campaigning.

"Just over six months ago, we launched my campaign to serve as Colorado’s next Governor," the Team Phil X account posted on X in early July. "Since then, you’ve all stepped up in incredible ways. Thank you. This graphic captures some amazing highlights of the last six months."

Notice the top right square. “Filed 26 lawsuits and 14 amicus briefs to protect Colorado.”

First, that is a lot of legal actions. It’s lawyers and paralegals and experts and billable hours for both the state and federal government. It’s resources that could be used to fight crime, clean up Colorado streets, fix the homeless crisis or help the women and children that politicians are always claiming to help.

But it’s not because, second and more importantly, the lawsuits are predominantly (state) tax-payer funded temper tantrums demanding that (federal) taxpayers continue to fund the agenda they rejected in the last presidential election.

Colorado taxpayers have the grand fortune of funding both sides – the claims and the responses – of the 40(!) legal actions Phil has taken against the Federal government. We’re not even six months into the Trump Administration, and we’re funding 40 of Phil’s fever dreams.

And it’s all part of his campaign.

Is the campaign reported the value its deriving at the hands of taxpayers? How many hours do law-abiding Coloradans have to work to fund just one of AG Weiser's self-serving, campaign-related lawsuits?

Phil Weiser presents himself as a public servant rooted in justice, law, and innovation – fighting the good fight against the bad orange man to save some population of women or children or otherwise marginalized people. But his rise through the legal and political establishment reveals strategic political calculus.

Who is Phil Weiser?

A first-generation American and child of Holocaust survivors, Weiser earned his B.A. with high honors from Swarthmore College in 1990 and his J.D. with high honors (Order of the Coif) from NYU School of Law in 1994 – before embedding himself in the corridors of federal bureaucracy under both the Clinton and Obama administrations. In Colorado, he leveraged his legal reputation to become Dean of CU Law and eventually Attorney General in 2018.

His career reflects a typical trajectory of an establishment Democrat: technocratic, consensus-driven, and scandalous.

Weiser’s tenure has been dogged by ethical concerns and a pattern of insider politics. The most glaring example is his leadership of the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), a group that regularly hosts luxury conferences – like the infamous 2021 Maui summit – underwritten by corporations such as Meta, Pfizer, and Juul. These are the very companies his office is investigating or suing.

His fundraiser at the Maui resort is an obvious conflict of interest, yet Weiser has dismissed the criticism as partisan noise. He did that again with Jena Griswold.

In April 2025, Secretary of State Jena Griswold faced a campaign finance complaint for allegedly failing to file required financial disclosures tied to early campaign activity – specifically the purchase of a domain for a presumed run for governor. Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office, responsible for investigating the complaint, decided not to pursue charges. Totally coincidentally, Griswold is not running for Governor – Weiser is. Griswold is running for Attorney General – Weiser’s currently seat. Those role changes shook out in the wake of the complaint dismissal.

Weiser for Governor?

Weiser’s fundraiser at the Maui resort sparked a formal campaign finance complaint, alleging unreported in-kind contributions and cozy relationships with regulated entities. His decision to dismiss the complaint against Jena Griswold reveals a broader pattern of selective legalism – a strong focus on the rule of law that aligns and often serves his political interests. His current campaign messaging touting official (political) lawsuits as campaign accomplishments reinforces the pattern. Weiser is quite comfortable operating in the gray, seeming to blur the lines of justice with those of his own self-interest.

Time and again, Weiser has shown a willingness to apply legal scrutiny aggressively when it bolsters his progressive credentials — such as in high-profile lawsuits against the Trump administration – while showing restraint when allies are involved.

Regardless of his campaign messaging, Weiser is not a neutral legal steward, but an experienced and shrewd operator – weaponizing his power to serve selective, strategic ends. He is the last person who should be given more power.

This article is originally published in the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle.