The complaint is the second one filed against Hickenlooper as the former governor explored running for federal office. In 2018, as he was gearing up for a presidential bid, a Republican group filed a complaint with the Colorado Ethics Commission over Hickenlooper's use of private planes as governor. FACT was once run by Matthew Whitaker, who briefly served as U.S. attorney general in the Trump administration, though the group says it has filed complaints against both Democrats and Republicans.
Hickenlooper is competing in the Democratic primary to run against Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. His campaign on Wednesday said that it followed normal, legal practice in using the footage and that the complaint is groundless.