Updated
Updated · The Denver Post · Jul 1
Polis Fires 2 Clemency Board Members Over Tina Peters Vote Leak
Updated
Updated · The Denver Post · Jul 1

Polis Fires 2 Clemency Board Members Over Tina Peters Vote Leak

3 articles · Updated · The Denver Post · Jul 1

Summary

  • Two Colorado clemency board members were removed after they publicly said the panel had twice voted unanimously against freeing Tina Peters, despite Gov. Jared Polis commuting her nine-year sentence in May.
  • Polis said Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi breached confidentiality by disclosing members' votes, and his office named two replacements Wednesday.
  • The two attorneys had argued the Peters case exposed a clemency system that "bends for some and holds firm against everyone else," saying Polis had also ignored recommendations to grant clemency in other cases.
  • Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted on four felonies tied to election-system access after the 2020 vote, was released June 1 and has since resumed promoting election conspiracy claims.
  • The dispute extends a backlash that already brought Democratic criticism and a state party censure of Polis, while Peters this week met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Insights

How can states safeguard the clemency process from becoming a tool for political influence?
Does dismissing advisory members for speaking out ultimately protect or harm government integrity?