Colorado Governor Dismisses Clemency Board Members Over Peters Comments
WHO:
CNN - Colorado Governor Jared Polis
CNN - Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff, clemency board members
CNN - Tina Peters, an election denier and former Mesa County clerk
CNN - President Donald Trump
The Denver Post - Mike Lindell, associated with election denial
WHAT:
CNN - Polis fired Taslimi and Proff for publicly criticizing his decision to grant clemency to Peters.
The Denver Post - Peters was convicted of four felonies and sentenced to nine years in prison in October 2024.
CNN - Peters' sentence was commuted by Polis in May, and she was released from prison on June 1.
The Denver Post - The clemency board voted unanimously twice to deny Peters' application for early release.
WHERE:
CNN - Colorado
The Denver Post - Mesa County, Colorado
WHEN:
The Denver Post - Peters was sentenced in October 2024.
CNN - Peters was released from prison on June 1.
CNN - The clemency board members were fired on a Wednesday, following their public comments in mid-June.
WHY:
CNN - Polis stated that the clemency board members breached confidentiality by publicly disclosing board votes.
The Denver Post - Polis argued that Peters' sentence was harsher than those given to others convicted of similar crimes and that she was being punished for her speech.
HOW:
CNN - Polis communicated the termination of Taslimi and Proff through letters citing breaches of confidentiality.
The Denver Post - The clemency process requires confidentiality to protect applicants, as stated by Polis' spokesperson Eric Maruyama.
(UPDATED July 2, 2026 08:09 UTC)
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has fired clemency board members Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff after they publicly criticized his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk convicted of four felonies. Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in October 2024, had her sentence commuted by Polis in May and was released on June 1, despite the clemency board voting unanimously twice to deny her application for early release. Polis stated that the board members breached confidentiality by disclosing their votes, emphasizing that the clemency process requires confidentiality to protect applicants.