Colorado Governor Jared Polis was formally censured with the vote of more than 200 members of the Colorado Democratic Party on Wednesday over his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters, the MAGA County Clerk who was convicted of multiple felonies over her role in a breach of her election system.
The measure passed with nearly 90% support, censuring Polis for “conduct inconsistent with the (party’s) commitment to democratic institutions, election integrity, and public accountability,” and barring him indefinitely from formal participation in party-sponsored events.
“Colorado has spent years building trust in our elections and proving they are secure,” the declaration reads. “At a time when democracy and voting rights are under attack across the nation, weakening accountability for someone convicted of undermining that trust is a mistake.”
The decision by Polis that frees Tina Peters on June 1 was condemned by other top Colorado Democrats, as well as the Republican district attorney that prosecuted Peters. The Colorado County Clerks Association, dominated by GOP members, also condemned Polis.
David Seligman, a Democratic candidate for Colorado attorney general, praised the censure but said “it’s not enough.”
“The General Assembly should reconvene to investigate and hold him accountable. And if he commuted Tina Peters’ sentence at the behest of Donald Trump, surrendering the sovereign authority of Colorado, he should be impeached,” Seligman said in a statement. “We have to be done with performative politics and wield the tools of public power for real accountability for abuses of power.”