Date of Offense
Statement
I state that Cheryl Hodges, while acting in her official capacity as an employee of the Colorado Secretary of State, abused the authority and access afforded by her government position to obstruct accountability and interfere with evidence relevant to governmental conduct. Hodges made false or materially misleading representations concerning that evidence and engaged in conduct that caused evidence to be destroyed, impaired, removed, or otherwise made unavailable for review.
This conduct was not a clerical mistake, administrative oversight, or good-faith disagreement concerning procedure. Hodges used her official position in a manner that prevented the creation, preservation, and subsequent examination of an accurate evidentiary record. Her actions impaired my ability, as well as the ability of investigators, courts, oversight authorities, and other decision-makers, to independently examine the evidence and determine the complete circumstances surrounding the underlying governmental conduct.
The destruction, impairment, or obstruction of evidence by a government agent is particularly serious because it directly compromises transparency, accountability, and the integrity of governmental records. A government employee cannot legitimately exercise control over accountability by eliminating, impairing, mischaracterizing, or obstructing access to the evidence necessary to evaluate official conduct. Hodges's actions therefore raise substantial concerns regarding her honesty, candor, reliability, abuse of governmental authority, and fitness to serve as a credible source of information in any judicial, administrative, investigative, or other official proceeding in which her statements, actions, or handling of evidence may become relevant.
I submit this complaint so that Hodges's conduct, including the obstruction and destruction of evidence and the representations associated with that conduct, is preserved as potential impeachment material and remains available for consideration whenever her credibility, reliability, or official actions become material to a proceeding.
