Citizens United movie spawns campaign finance suit

DENVER (AP) — Citizens United is suing after the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office ruled a movie the conservative group is producing falls under state campaign laws.

The Virginia-based group sued Secretary of State Scott Gessler in federal court in Denver on Thursday, saying it deserved the same free-speech protections as traditional media and liberal documentary filmmakers. Citizens United is finishing a movie called “Rocky Mountain Heist” about those it says have influenced Colorado’s recent political swing to the left.

In June, Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert ruled the group must disclose the movie’s financiers. Citizens United president David Bossie tells The Denver Post (http://dpo.st/1kFbRkB ) the organization is fighting on the same principles that won before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 after the Federal Election Commission said a movie about Hillary Clinton was “electioneering communication.”

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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