A government watchdog group criticized the state's attorney general for stepping in as legal counsel to the new Independent Ethics Commission, saying in a statement Tuesday that the setup presents unavoidable conflicts of interest.

Attorney General John Suthers on Monday told the commission, responsible for forming ethics rules, that his office would do its lawyering unless lawmakers allow an outside attorney.

Suthers' office by law acts as counsel for all state agencies, an attorney general spokesman said.

Chantell Taylor, head of the nonprofit Colorado Ethics Watch, said the commission should be independent of the executive branch.

All of its decisions — like figuring out how to apply the recent gift ban for public officials — will affect state employees including Suthers' staff, she said.

The ethics commission this year got its last member, allowing it to begin rulemaking and accepting requests for ethical guidance. As the legislative session closed, lawmakers submitted a lengthy request asking whether scholarships, honoraria and other awards and gifts given to public employees or their children are legal.