Valerie Richardson

Valerie Richardson covers politics and the West from Denver. She can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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Articles by Valerie Richardson

Rep. Darrell E. Issa said uneven scrutiny by the IRS was "a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters." (Associated Press photographs)

IRS audits moderate group with GOP ties; Issa says scrutiny known in D.C.

Two weeks before news broke that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny of their tax-exempt applications, a moderate GOP organization received word it was being audited — a move its organizers said suggests the tax agency's scrutiny included non-tea party political groups. Published June 2, 2013

In this photo taken on May 24, 2013, Democratic State Senate President John Morse works at the Democratic Party offices in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Morse and his staff are planning their weekend strategy to encourage voters not to sign petitions for his recall. Gun-rights activists with support of the National Rifle Association are seeking Morse's ouster because of his support for new gun laws that restrict ammunition magazines and expand background checks to private gun sales. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Coloradans want to oust Senate leader for gun stand

Located next to a tattoo parlor, Paul Paradis' small gun shop doesn't look like anyone's idea of a sophisticated political machine. Published June 2, 2013

** FILE ** Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, is House Oversight Committee chairman. (Associated Press)

Rep. Issa: No confidence in Eric Holder, and Jay Carney’s a ‘paid liar’

House Republicans confirmed Sunday they are investigating Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for perjury, while Sen. John McCain suggested he consider resigning in the wake of accusations that he lied to Congress about the probe of a journalist. Published June 2, 2013

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 22 granted Nathan Dunlap a "temporary reprieve," putting off indefinitely his execution on death row for the 1993 shooting deaths of four employees at an Aurora, Colo., restaurant. (Associated Press)

GOP’s verdict is in on reprieve for Colo. mass killer

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's decision to grant a reprieve last week to an infamous death row inmate means that a man's life is literally on the line in the 2014 gubernatorial race. Published May 30, 2013

**FILE** Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican (Associated Press)

GOP reiterates push for independent IRS investigation

Republicans ramped up calls Sunday for an independent investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for special scrutiny. Published May 26, 2013

** FILE ** In this May 23, 2013, file photo Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., center, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., right, take part in a Capitol Hill press conference in Washington to express criticism of President Barack Obama's speech on Afghanistan, terrorism, and the Guantanamo Bay prison. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Republicans see Obama ‘retreat’ in war on terrorism; Sen. Graham calls it ‘tone deaf’ to threats

President Obama said last week that he wants a reset on the war on terrorism, but Republicans said Sunday that his plan sounds more like a retreat. Published May 26, 2013

Red states hold the edge in growth

The odds of finding a good job are significantly better in the nation's red states than in blue states, according to a new study of business and tax policies across the country released Thursday. Published May 23, 2013

Former Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado lost his retirement nest egg &quot;in the Madoff thing,&quot; but he&#39;s sanguine about his loss and busy with his Rocky Mountain Foundation. It focuses on conservative issues, including immigration policy. (Astrid Riecken/The Washington Times)

Tancredo enters governor’s race after Colo. killer spared

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo announced Thursday he will seek the 2014 Republican nomination for Colorado governor, a day after Gov. John Hickenlooper granted a reprieve to a notorious Death Row inmate. Published May 23, 2013

Motorcyclists receive a salute as the Rolling Thunder contingent passes near the Lincoln Memorial on the final leg of their journey as crowds gather on sidewalks to wave. (The Washington Times)

Volunteers keep the Rolling Thunder riders fed and fueled

Before they arrive in Washington, D.C., the bikers of Rolling Thunder drive through hundreds of small towns, where they can count on receiving a hand from friends like Gary Komassa. Published May 22, 2013

The exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington is seen here on March 22, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Tea party groups take anger to IRS offices across the nation

Crowds jammed onto the sidewalks in front of more than a dozen Internal Revenue Service offices nationwide Tuesday to protest the agency's targeting of conservative organizations for extra scrutiny. Published May 22, 2013

**FILE** Workers assemble 30-round capacity ammunition magazines for high-velocity rifles inside the Magpul Industries plant in Erie, Colo., on Feb. 28, 2013. (Associated Press)

Magpul joins Colorado sheriffs in filing lawsuit against gun-control bills

Magpul Industries joined 54 Colorado county sheriffs Friday in filing a federal lawsuit against the state's recently signed gun-control bills. Published May 18, 2013

** FILE ** Prosecutors say James Holmes, seen here in court July 23, 2012, was banned from the University of Colorado. (Associated Press)

The fate of Aurora theater shooter James Holmes may hinge on a death row inmate

The fate of one Colorado mass murderer has become entwined with that of another as Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper struggles with whether to save the life of a notorious death row inmate. Published May 16, 2013

Colorado’s tax on pot still a worry for backers

Recreational marijuana was sold to Colorado voters as a revenue source for schools, but some lawmakers now worry that they may wind up with all of the pot and none of the money. Published May 7, 2013

**FILE** Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead addresses reporters at a press conference on April 5, 2013, at the state Capitol in Cheyenne. (Associated Press)

Colorado’s new gun laws push HiViz firearms business to Wyoming

A Colorado firearms company has found a new home across the border in Wyoming, protesting the recent passage of restrictive new guns laws. Published May 3, 2013

Chancellor Philip DiStefano addresses 5,500 graduates and their families and friends during spring commencement at Folsom Field at the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Source: University of Colorado) ** FILE **

Conservatives wanted: Colorado University seeks intellectual diversity at liberal bastion

Republicans on the University of Colorado Board of Regents pushed Tuesday for greater intellectual diversity on campus, starting with the hiring of professors and instructors in the humanities who hold right-of-center views. Published April 30, 2013

Members of a crowd numbering tens of thousands smoke marijuana simultaneously at 4:20 p.m., at the Denver 420 pro-marijuana rally at Civic Center Park in Denver on April 20, 2013. Even before the passage in November 2012 of Colorado Amendment 64 promised the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, April 20 has for years been a celebration of marijuana counterculture, and the 2013 rally draw larger crowds than previous years. (Associated Press)

Colorado’s marijuana legalization could be short-lived

Those who backed last year's votes to legalize marijuana in Colorado and Washington are still in high spirits, but now they're also grappling with a series of post-election potholes. Published April 26, 2013

Brandon Coats, a medical-marijuana patient, was fired from his job after failing a drug test. The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the firing, citing federal law.

Federal law trumps Colorado’s on medical marijuana

A severely disabled man fired because of his after-hours medical-marijuana use has no legal recourse because the drug remains banned under federal law, a Colorado court ruled Thursday. Published April 25, 2013

Colorado gun control advocates respond to critics with more bills

Colorado Democrats, facing electoral recalls and tourism boycotts, have a response for those outraged by their ambitious gun control agenda: more gun bills. Published April 24, 2013

Prairie dogs prefer suburban luxury over the untamed wilderness, but they're now in the fight of their lives to keep and even destroy property.

Protected Utah prairie dogs fight for home on the range

For years, residents of Cedar City, Utah, have been waging a losing battle against an infestation of prairie dogs, mainly because the critters have better attorneys. Published April 22, 2013

Attendees numbering in the tens of thousands smoke marijuana simultaneously at 4:20 p.m. at the Denver 420 pro-marijuana rally at Civic Center Park in Denver on Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Gunfire at marijuana festival in Denver injures 3

Three people were injured after gunfire pierced the smoky haze Saturday at the nation's largest marijuana celebration here at Civic Center Park. Published April 21, 2013