Colo. Gov. Jared Polis censured by party for Tina Peters clemency

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May 21 (UPI) -- The Colorado Democratic Party central committee voted to censure Gov. Jared Polis for commuting the sentence of election denier and former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.

The committee voted 89.8% in favor of censure, which temporarily bans him from participating in

or speaking at party-sponsored events, including Colorado DemFest on June 6 and the associated Obama Gala.

Polis' move cut Peters' 9-year sentence in half, and she could get parole as soon as June 1 after serving less than two years.

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Peters was the clerk of Mesa County, Colo., whose county seat is Grand Junction, in western Colorado. She was convicted on three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count each of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree misconduct, violation of duty and failure to comply with the requirements of the secretary of state.

She was sentenced in October 2024, but an appeals court rejected the sentence in April, saying it was based on what she said, which impedes her free speech.

"My goal is to make the right decision with the information I have, and that's exactly what I did in this case," CBS News reported Polis said. "I think the fact this has seemingly become so partisan shows the problem with this case, frankly. No case should be viewed from a partisan lens. Each case is about an individual and the crime they committed."

He said he researched other corruption cases involving public officials and they had much shorter sentences.

"In nearly every case, we saw probation, we saw 6 months," he said.

He agreed with the appeals court, saying her sentence was based on what she said.

During her sentencing, District Judge Matthew Barrett said Peters had no remorse and called her a "charlatan" who abused her position to "peddle snake oil."

"I am convinced you would do it all over again if you could," Barrett said. "You're as defiant as any defendant this court has ever seen."

Peters was convicted of allowing an unauthorized person to make copies of voting machine hard drives that included classified information. The data from those drives was then leaked online by conspiracy theorists who falsely said it proved President Donald Trump correct in his assertion that the 2020 election was "stolen."

Trump later pardoned Peters, but Colorado officials said he has no power to do so because she was convicted by the state.

Polis said he didn't talk to Peters before deciding to grant the clemency, but he said she apologized for her actions and took accountability in her request.

Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in a statement that "sometimes the right thing isn't the popular thing with everybody."

"Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship," he added.

"The man is wildly out of touch with the party he effectively leads," Ian Coggins, 33, a political consultant who started the censure effort, said in an interview with The New York Times.

But some in the state disagree.

"The governor made a brave decision, unpopular as it is," The Times reported Ann la Plante, a criminal defense lawyer in Greeley, Colo., said.

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