Colorado Gov. Jared Polis fired two members of the state’s clemency board after they spoke out against his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters, a pro-life advocate whose sentence was cut in half by the outgoing Democratic governor in May.

Clemency Board Members Speak Out

Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff told CNN they were fired after speaking out publicly, including in a New York Times article in June, in which they revealed secret details about the clemency process and criticized the governor for overruling the board. They told the Times the clemency board twice voted unanimously behind closed doors to reject Peters’ application for an early release from prison.

Polis’ decision in May to release Peters came after President Donald Trump waged a long pressure campaign against Colorado to free her. Peters – who was released from prison in June – was the last Trump ally still in prison for 2020 election-related crimes.

Confidentiality Breach

In letters to Taslimi and Proff obtained by CNN, Polis said the two members breached confidentiality by speaking out. The governor primarily justified his decision to release Peters by citing a recent Colorado appeals court ruling that found the trial judge violated Peters’ First Amendment rights by improperly punishing her for her protected speech about the 2020 election.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.