Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ decision to commute the prison sentence of Tina Peters, the former county clerk who was convicted of tampering with election equipment in a failed attempt to uncover fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a “gross injustice” to the people of his state and warned that it sets a “dangerous precedent” for future elections.
Peters, 70, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, will now be released on June 1.
Polis’ announcement came after a monthslong pressure campaign from President Donald Trump. The Colorado governor insisted his decision to commute the sentence was not political and said he believed Peters received an “unduly harsh sentence” due to her “incorrect and unpopular speech.”
On MS NOW’s “The Weekend,” Griswold blasted her fellow Democrat for granting what she called special treatment to the Trump ally and former Mesa County clerk.
“Tina Peters was no political prisoner. She compromised her voting equipment trying to prove Trump’s ‘big lie.’ Her actions, and then her lies and conspiracies about her actions, were used to further destabilize our elections and increase the threat level to election officials,” she said.
Griswold told MS NOW she believed Polis’ choice to grant Peters clemency was “a gross injustice to the people of Colorado, to our democracy and to our nation” and that it “sets a dangerous precedent on various levels.”
“It will embolden the election denialism movement in this country at a time that is quite dangerous with our upcoming elections,” she said.
The secretary also called the decision “demoralizing” for election officials across the state, who have been working to help secure Colorado’s voting system after the 2020 election. Griswold said Peters’ clemency sends “a message to President Trump that if he retaliates hard enough, a Democratic state will give in.”
Griswold added, “If we placate this lawless president who tries to bully his way into getting people to follow his lawless orders, democracy can fall. That’s what this is about, ultimately. So, overall, I think it’s a bad decision.”
You can watch Griswold’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
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