Gov. Jared Polis fired two Colorado clemency board members after they publicly criticized his commutation of Tina Peters
Colorado Governor Jared Polis fired two members of the state's Executive Clemency Advisory Board on July 1, 2026, after they publicly criticized his May 2026 commutation of convicted election denier Tina Peters. Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff had participated in the board's two unanimous votes against Peters's clemency application and subsequently co-wrote a Denver Post opinion piece revealing those votes and criticizing the governor's override. Polis stated in termination letters that the two members had "breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members' votes pertaining to a clemency application."
Actors
- Jared Polis (Governor of Colorado)
On July 1, 2026, Colorado Governor Jared Polis fired Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff from the state's Executive Clemency Advisory Board. Both had participated in the board's unanimous votes — held in January and February 2026 — to deny a clemency application from Tina Peters, a former Mesa County Clerk who was convicted in 2023 of tampering with election equipment. Polis commuted Peters's nearly nine-year sentence in May 2026, overriding the board's unanimous recommendation over the objections of prominent Democrats and multiple county clerks.
Following the commutation, Taslimi and Seigel Proff co-wrote an opinion piece in the Denver Post revealing that the board had twice voted unanimously against Peters's release. They criticized Polis for overruling the board under sustained political pressure from President Trump, who had publicly demanded Peters's release and threatened federal funding for Colorado. In termination letters, Polis stated they had "breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members' votes pertaining to a clemency application which you obtained only through your official position on this Board."
The fired board members disputed that framing. Taslimi told CNN the governor "capitulated" to Trump's pressure and called the commutation "selective mercy, because you are giving her the benefit that you don't give or apply to anyone else." Seigel Proff said the two were "disappointed" by the firing. The underlying commutation of Tina Peters was recorded separately in this archive (entry co-pardons-for-allies-or-self-1983743b, 2026-05-15).
Why we recorded this
Advisory boards provide expert, independent input into executive decisions precisely to constrain arbitrary exercises of power. When officials remove board members for expressing the views those members were appointed to provide, the advisory function is effectively silenced. Governor Polis's removal of two clemency board members immediately after they publicly described their unanimous votes against Tina Peters's release — and criticized the governor for overruling them under federal political pressure — establishes that official dissent carries professional consequences, eroding the independence of appointed oversight bodies.
Sources
- Jared Polis fires advisers who disclosed voting against Tina Peters' release — Colorado Sun primary accessed July 2, 2026
- Colorado governor fires two clemency board members who spoke out about Tina Peters' commutation — CNN secondary accessed July 2, 2026
- Polis fires Colorado officials who opposed Tina Peters commutation — The Hill secondary accessed July 2, 2026
See also
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- State Department blocked NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani's meeting with Colombia's President Petro
- State Dept. opens investigation into deporting Trita Parsi, prominent critic of Trump's Iran war
- FBI raids Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a voter-registration group