{"id":2605619,"date":"2026-05-21T16:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colorado-democrats-condemn-polis-over-tina-peters-commutation\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:42:21","slug":"colorado-democrats-condemn-polis-over-tina-peters-commutation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colorado-democrats-condemn-polis-over-tina-peters-commutation\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Democrats condemn Polis over Tina Peters commutation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcolorado-democrats-condemn-polis-over-tina-peters-commutation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605619&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Colorado Democratic leaders sharply criticized Gov. Jared Polis after he granted clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, a convicted election-interference defendant.The Colorado Democratic Party voted overwhelmingly (90%) to censure Polis adn bar him from participating in party functions, arguing the commutation undermines the party\u2019s credibility and sets a risky precedent by reducing a sentence based on pressure from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>peters\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >case drew national attention<\/a> when she was convicted in 2024 on multiple felonies and misdemeanors tied to a breach involving access to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-denier-tina-peters-to-be-granted-clemency-by-jared-polis\/\" title=\"Election denier Tina Peters to be ... by ...\">county voting equipment<\/a>. Her supporters and legal team say she was preserving evidence ahead of a 2021 software update, while her critics-and the party leaders-say her actions involved illegal access.<\/p>\n<p>polis defended the decision by saying Peters\u2019s original punishment was too harsh and that the court improperly considered her beliefs, which he said are protected speech under the First Amendment. He also emphasized that her conduct did not interfere with ballot counting or alter election results, but did involve unauthorized access to the computer room.<\/p>\n<p>After receiving clemency, Peters issued an apology, acknowledging she misled state officials and stating she has learned from her time in prison and will comply with the law going forward.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) faced intense backlash from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/colorado\/\">Colorado<\/a> Democrats on Wednesday for granting clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted on charges of election interference in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2020-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"228\">2020 election<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Colorado Democratic Party approved a measure to censure Polis after the governor made Peters, who was serving out a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3912375\/tina-peters-requests-trump-pardon-after-reported-prison-attacks\/\">nine-year prison sentence<\/a>, eligible for parole on June 1. The vote, approved by 90% of the Democratic Party\u2019s State Central Committee, means he will not be allowed to participate as an honored guest, speaker, or recognized representative of the party at party functions. The development came after President Donald Trump repeatedly called on the Democratic governor to release the election clerk, and her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tiktok-facing-full-ban-battles-montana-in-court\/\" title=\"TikTok fights Montana in court over potential ban.\">legal team raised concerns<\/a> about the safety and health hurdles <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3912375\/tina-peters-requests-trump-pardon-after-reported-prison-attacks\/\">she said she has faced<\/a> in jail. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4578171\/us-removes-sanctions-un-expert-francesca-albanese-israel\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US removes sanctions on UN official Francesca Albanese over Israel criticism<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4577111\/ninth-circuit-gun-owner-fight-against-san-diego-county\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ninth Circuit weighs gun owner\u2019s fight against California county for denying gun permit over motorcycle club membership<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4577450\/trump-administration-anti-weaponization-fund-cold-reception-gop\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump administration\u2019s \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund gets cold reception from GOP on Capitol Hill<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReducing her sentence now, under pressure from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>, is not justice,\u201d the Colorado Democratic Party said <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coloradodems.org\/press\/colorado-democratic-party-rebukes-gov-polis-commutation-of-tina-peters\">in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIt sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you\u2019re friends with the president. That\u2019s a dangerous and disappointing precedent to set.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe State Central Committee finds that Governor Jared Polis\u2019s decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters materially harmed the Colorado <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"288\">Democratic Party\u2019s<\/a> institutional credibility and efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-supreme-court-set-to-overturn-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"Report: Supreme Court Set To Overturn Roe v. Wade\">defend democratic institutions<\/a> and election integrity,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peters\u2019s case gained national attention and caught Trump\u2019s eye when she was convicted in 2024 of four felonies and three misdemeanor charges related to a breach of voting systems in the county.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peters allowed an external GOP affiliate to access Mesa County voting equipment around a<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cpr.org\/2024\/08\/06\/tina-peters-trial-day-5\/\"> 2021 software update<\/a> and helped him obtain a security badge to access the facility. Peters said she made the move to preserve evidence she believed proved that Dominion Voting Systems and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold coordinated a statewide software update to erase election system data from Dominion machines to help then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden win the presidency. After making a copy of a hard drive during an update of election equipment in May 2021, images of Mesa County voting systems were later posted online, leading to charges against Peters and two of her colleagues involved in the controversy: deputy clerk Belinda Knisley and elections manager Sandra Brown. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Polis defended his move to commute Peters\u2019s sentence<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gjsentinel.com\/news\/western_colorado\/q-a-gov-polis-explains-decision-to-commute-tina-peters-sentence\/article_528f92e2-e898-4fca-9933-0d138446343e.html\"> in comments<\/a> to the <em>Daily Sentinel<\/em>, saying her sentence was disproportionate to her crime and pointing out that her actions did not interfere with the election, but rather pertained to trying \u201cto copy the software for an independent audit prior to an [election] update.\u201d He argued that Peters\u2019s belief that election interference had occurred was protected speech under the First Amendment. He cited the Colorado Court of Appeals\u2019 recent ruling that Peters <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4513838\/tina-peters-conviction-upheld-court-orders-resentencing-2020-fraud\/\">should be resentenced<\/a>, as her original sentencing was \u201cbased in part on improper consideration of the exercise of her right to free speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe very well believes in many conspiracy theories, but just because somebody believes that the Earth is flat, it doesn\u2019t mean that they deserve a longer sentence than somebody who believes it\u2019s round, so I adjusted the sentence,\u201d Polis said. \u201cI think it\u2019s important that speech is never used as a basis for punishment.\u2026 It\u2019s well-settled that the First Amendment generally prohibits punishing someone for their protected speech, and the trial court\u2019s comments about Peters\u2019s belief about the existence of election fraud went beyond relevant considerations for her sentencing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Colorado Public Radio <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cpr.org\/2026\/05\/15\/tina-peters-sentence-shortened-jared-polis\/\">on Friday<\/a>, Polis reiterated the sentiment, saying his office received thousands of calls saying Peters was over-sentenced for the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe committed a crime. It did not interfere with any election, did not have to do with ballot counting, but it was illegal access to the computer room,\u201d the Democratic governor said. \u201cShe thought she was trying to back up the software before it was updated. She did it illegally. There\u2019s no question about it. And she deserves to go to prison. And I think this is a more appropriate, even harsh, frankly, sentence for that crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not a pardon. It\u2019s really making sure that her free speech was not a criteria for her overly harsh sentencing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peters\u2019s lawyer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradonewsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Sup.-Cover-Letter-for-Application-for-Pardon-for-Tina-Peters.pdf\">wrote to Trump<\/a> in December 2025, arguing that Peters had legally preserved the images and a copy of the Mesa County election system data before the update occurred. Since federal law requires election records to be retained for 22 months, the attorney portrayed Peters as protecting evidence rather than improperly accessing systems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4570644\/lauren-boebert-campaign-thomas-massie-tough-kentucky-primary\/\"><strong>LAUREN BOEBERT TO CAMPAIGN FOR THOMAS MASSIE AHEAD OF TOUGH PRIMARY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Polis granted her clemency, Peters issued an apology. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI made mistakes, and for those I am sorry,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cFive years ago I misled the Secretary of State when allowing a person to gain access to county voting equipment. That was wrong. I have learned and grown during my time in prison and going forward I will make sure that my actions always follow the law, and I will avoid the mistakes of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polis faces backlash as Colorado Dems censure him for clemency to Tina Peters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2605620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ap22095766373844-scaled.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6024,3685,13513,5894,42277],"class_list":["post-2605619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado","tag-democrats","tag-polis","tag-politics","tag-tina-peters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ap22095766373844-scaled.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605619"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605623,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605619\/revisions\/2605623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}