Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has fired two members of his state clemency board after they spoke out against his decision to go over their heads to commute the prison sentence of pro-Trump election denier Tina Peters.
According to The New York Times, Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi "had objected to Mr. Polis’s decision in May" to release former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on parole, "saying it came after pressure from President Trump" — and had disclosed that the clemency board voted twice to reject the clemency.
"The board normally operates in secret and does not disclose the pardon and commutation recommendations it makes to the governor. Ms. Proff and Ms. Taslimi said they had been compelled to pierce that veil of secrecy in Ms. Peters’s case," the report noted. Per The Times, they announced on Wednesday that they have been terminated by Polis "for violating the board’s confidentiality standards."
Peters was convicted of multiple felonies after breaching election equipment as part of a plot to prove President Donald Trump's conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Polis, who was censured by the Colorado Democratic Party over the decision, claimed as part of his decision to release her that the sentence was disproportionate compared to people who committed similar offenses — something prosecutors and other legal experts have disputed — and claimed she expressed remorse for her actions as part of the deal.
However, very shortly after being paroled, Peters went on a circuit continuing to push conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.