The Colorado House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Wednesday morning to dismiss a complaint against state Rep. David Balmer, a Centennial Republican, who faced charges he improperly tried to influence a leadership election to succeed House Minority Leader Mike May last month. May filed the complaint against Balmer — and suspended plans to resign from the Legislature to tend to his business — after a newly elected Aurora Republican reported a lobbyist for the Colorado Chiropractic Association, who backed Balmer for minority leader, contacted her about the leadership race with a check in hand.

“I don’t think we have probable cause to go any further,” said committee Chairwoman Claire Levy, a Boulder Democrat, the Rocky Mountain News reports. Wednesday’s hearing was convened to determine whether the evidence collected by the committee — including affidavits swearing nothing improper happened and phone and e-mail records from assorted legislators and lobbyists — established probable cause a violation of House rules had occurred.

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