Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) silently protested Colorado Democrats’ decision to censure him over his decision to commute the sentence of a prominent 2020 election denier by showing up to an internal party video call with his mouth taped.
An image of the term-limited Democratic governor with black tape on his mouth was shared on social media by Jesse Paul, a Denver-based political reporter and editor at the Colorado Sun.
The Washington Examiner contacted Polis’s office for comment on the tape stunt.
An anti-Polis account on X criticized his appearance, saying shutting his mouth was the “only thing we’ve ever asked [Polis] to do.”
Polis responded, “Making wishes come true.”
Last Wednesday, the vast majority of the Colorado Democratic Party’s Central Committee approved the move to censure the governor. As a result, Polis is barred as an honored guest, featured speaker, or recognized party representative at party-sponsored events.
Less than a week before that, the governor granted clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of election interference. Her nine-year prison sentence was dramatically reduced. She is set for release on parole on June 1.
Polis made the contentious decision to release Peters after President Donald Trump repeatedly pressured him to do so. Her legal team previously raised concerns about the safety and health hurdles she faced in jail at 70 years old.
Democratic leadership in the Colorado legislature uniformly opposed the governor’s clemency action, while Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and other Republicans gave him due credit.
“Polis and I have had many conversations regarding Tina’s unjust punishment and her release,” Boebert posted on X earlier this month. “My heart was filled with joy when he called me today to share this great news!”
Peters was accused of copying sensitive election system data from Mesa County voting equipment during a 2021 software update. At the time, she was convinced by the allegations of widespread election fraud.
After she was granted clemency, Peters expressed remorse for her past actions.
“I made mistakes, and for those I am sorry,” she said in a statement. “Five 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.”
COLORADO DEMOCRATS CENSURE JARED POLIS OVER TINA PETERS COMMUTATION
In defense of his decision to release Peters, Polis essentially argued the punishment didn’t fit the crime and pointed out that she did not alter the election results. Rather, according to the governor, she illegally accessed the computer room and attempted to copy the election data for an independent audit before the software was updated.
“It’s really making sure that her free speech was not a criteria for her overly harsh sentencing,” he said in an interview with Colorado Public Radio, adding he did not pardon her.