Stephanie Villafuerte (handout via Denver Post)
Following the withdrawal Monday of the nominee for U.S. Attorney in Colorado, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) will be resubmitting names of two former finalists for the job, The Colorado Springs Independent reports. Additional people also might be recommended, according to the newspaper.
On Monday, Stephanie Villafuerte, a longtime aide to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D), withdrew from consideration. Villafuerte sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Villafuerte expressed “deep regret” about dropping out. Her decision follows a controversy about whether she accessed a law enforcement database in connection with Ritter’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Villafuerte has denied the allegations, which were raised by Republicans.
Udall and then-Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) had submitted three names for consideration: Villafuerte; Bill Thiebaut, a district attorney for Pueblo, Colo., who previously served as the Colorado Senate majority leader; and John Walsh, a white-collar criminal and civil attorney from Hill & Robbins in Denver who previously worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
