Tina Peters Released from Prison
A couple of weeks ago, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) decided to grant clemency to former County Clerk of Mesa County, CO Tina Peters, who was given a 9-year sentence for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in her state. She was released yesterday; having served 4.5 years (i.e., half of her original sentence).
We've gotten a bunch of questions from readers about why Polis would do such a thing. Let us start by pointing out that, unlike Donald Trump, the Governor clearly was not granting the pardon for its political benefit. There's no indication he has his eye on some other office when he's done being governor, and even if he does, his base was furious about the decision. Colorado Democrats even went so far as to formally censure Polis.
So, unless you believe that Polis was on the take-and there's been no suggestion or evidence that is the case-then he did it because he believed it was the right thing to do. This is a very reasonable conclusion for him to reach. For the court to give 9 years to a first-time, white-collar offender was definitely on the harsh side of the scale. And Peters is 70, such that another 4.5 years is a rather greater price for her than for, say, someone in their 30s. Polis already has a demonstrated history of using pardons and clemency liberally, and in particular giving special consideration to senior-citizen prisoners. By all indications, what most readers of this site, and most Americans, want is for executives to keep politics out of the pardon process. That is something Trump clearly does not do, but that Polis evidently does do.
That said, the Governor may be wishing now that he had this one back, because Peters clearly learned nothing from her ordeal. Very nearly her first stop upon release yesterday was Steve Bannon's idiotic, and arguably insurrectionist, podcast. And as soon as she once again had the spotlight, Peters resumed prattling on about how Democrats always cheat in elections, and how they are definitely going to steal the 2024 midterms. As per usual, she somehow forgot to bring any evidence whatsoever in support of her claims.
Oh, well, what's done is done. We imagine that Peters will do the rounds of right-wing media, and will be quite the celebrity for some period of time.
And then, she will fade into obscurity, which is a fate she richly deserves. (Z)
