The Colorado Democratic Party voted in favor of formally censuring Colorado’s governor. Jared Polis Former Mesa County Clerk’s sentence commuted Tina Petersa prominent denier of the 2020 election that President Donald Trump symbolically pardoned last December.
In August 2024, Mr. Peters was convicted of four felonies and three misdemeanors stemming from a security breach in the 2021 Mesa County election system, which prosecutors claimed was intended to further false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Prosecutors said Peters used someone else’s security badge to give one to an associate of My Pillow founder and 2020 election denier. mike lindell Access to county election equipment associated with Dominion Voting Systems. The machine then replaced After sensitive data, including passwords, is posted online.
With Polis’ commutation, Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, will be released on parole on June 1.
At a virtual meeting on May 20, nearly 90% of members of the Colorado Democratic State Central Committee voted to condemn the actions of the governor, who in 2018 was elected as the nation’s first openly gay governor.
“Tina Peters was found guilty by a jury of her peers, and the judge declared she would do it all over again if she could,” the State Central Committee said in a statement. “The Republican district attorney who prosecuted her said any commutation would be a ‘gross injustice.’ He is right. Commuting her sentence now, under pressure from President Donald Trump, is not justice. It sends a message to future bad actors that election fraud will have consequences unless they are friends of the president. This sets a dangerous and unfortunate precedent.”
The commission said Polis’ commutation of Peters’ sentence “severely undermined” the party’s “institutional trust” and efforts to “protect democratic institutions and the integrity of elections.” He added that the governor’s actions “do not reflect the values, institutional positions, or commitment to democracy of the Colorado Democratic Party.”
As a result of this accusation, Mr. Polis will not be able to participate in party-sponsored events as a guest of honor, speaker, or authorized representative of the Colorado Democratic Party.
Polis’ decision to commute Peters’ sentence came after months of pressure from Trump and his administration. Mr. Polis denied bowing to outside political pressure and argued that Mr. Peters’ sentence was too harsh and violated his constitutional right to free speech.
In April, a state appellate court upheld Peters’ conviction but ruled that she should be resentenced, finding that the trial judge improperly considered her election denialism (a form of protected speech) in sentencing. Polis has been publicly considering a reduction for several months and noted it in his March report. post X reported that Democratic politicians received much shorter sentences on similar charges.
The day he commuted Peters’ sentence, Polis said: colorado public radio Peters said he committed a crime, but his actions “did not interfere with the election” and “had nothing to do with vote counting.” He argued that her nine-year sentence was disproportionate to the charge of allowing unauthorized access to the voting system.
Party member Andrew Blunt told Colorado Public Radio that Polis has had “problems” for years and the cuts were “a last resort,” citing the governor’s past praise for the Health and Human Services secretary. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his rejection Critics amended a portion of the bill targeting rental pricing software that they say contributes to price fixing.
Other Democrats were further outraged that Polis commuted Peters’ sentence two days after Congress adjourned, preventing lawmakers from impeaching him or pursuing formal charges through Congress. Polis’ term ends in January 2027.
Peters’ lead attorney, Peter Ticktin, defended Polis’ decision, telling Colorado Public Radio that the governor acted humanely in commuting the 70-year-old former clerk’s sentence. He accused Democrats of “second-guessing” Polis out of partisan anger toward his client.
Polis spokesman Eric Maruyama told Colorado Public Radio that the governor understands that many Democrats oppose commuting the sentence, but believes it was the right decision because the trial judge violated Peters’ First Amendment rights.
“One of the great things about the Democratic Party is that we are a large group and there is room for debate and disagreement,” Maruyama said. “Clemency decisions should not be made solely based on popularity. The Governor is often attacked for clemency decisions, but he believes deeply in mercy. No matter what, he will continue to fight to make life better for all Coloradans.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
