Questions about his law enforcement career have become a stumbling block for Colorado Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes, reports the Denver Post. After first saying that he had been fired 25 years ago as a cop in Liberal, Kan., after working undercover with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Maes acknowledged that he had not worked for KBI. He also said he had been fired when “I got too close to some significant people in the community who were involved in these activities.”But the KBI said Maes had never worked for the agency, and officials in Liberal refused to discuss why he had been fired in 1985, after two years on the job.
“Some people are probably taking that a little too literally,” he told the Denver Post. “I was a city police officer providing information to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.” He called it all a “non-issue.” In the statement posted to his website, Maes elaborated on his work as a police officer: “I was a young officer caught in a situation that was much bigger than myself with no where to go. I am proud to say that I never participated in any illegal activity while undercover. Although this chapter of my life was yet another one where I fought the machine, I will not discuss the details any further as many who were involved in this situation are still alive and in new places in their lives and I want to protect them.”