On Wednesday, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado dismissed two members of the pardons commission for sharing private information regarding commute recommendations for Tina Peters. Peters was found guilty of interfering with election equipment.
Hannah Siegel Plouffe and Azra Taslimi expressed disagreement with the decision, which followed Polis’ choice to release Peters from prison in May after former President Donald Trump requested the commutation.
Peters had her request for a sentence reduction unanimously denied by the board appointed by Polis, but the governor chose to overrule this decision.
The Pardons Commission usually functions behind closed doors, keeping recommendations and discussions confidential. Plouffe and Taslimi believed it necessary to breach this protocol and disclose internal discussions regarding Peters’ case.
The governor communicated via letter that both women were being fired for breaching the board’s confidentiality standards.
“You violated your confidentiality obligations by publicly disclosing the results of the board’s votes,” Polis stated in his letter. “You violated your confidentiality obligations by disclosing publicly the votes of board members.”
Peters, a former county clerk in western Colorado, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2024 after she attempted to manipulate voting machines in order to support claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Trump.
The former president had continuously urged Polis to commute Peters’ sentence.
Taskun commented on the situation, saying, “He’s asserting that the public has no right to know that his advisory committee denied the request twice. He’s not safeguarding the process; he’s shielding himself from examination.”
Polis’ spokesman, Eric Maruyama, noted that the actions of the two women jeopardized the board’s credibility and violated established confidentiality policies.
In May, the Colorado Democratic Party criticized the governor for his decision to commute Peters’ sentence.
