Gov. Jared Polis dismissed two members of his clemency advisory board Wednesday for publicly criticizing his decision to commute the sentence of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters. The fired attorneys, Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi, had spoken to media and written an opinion piece stating the board unanimously recommended denying clemency to Peters, who was convicted of election-related felonies.

Peters received a nine-year sentence in October 2024 for giving access to voting systems to someone connected to Mike Lindell and attempting to influence public officials. Polis commuted her sentence in May, arguing it was excessive compared to similar cases and that she was being punished for speech. The decision sparked immediate backlash from fellow Democrats and an official censure by the state party.

The governor's office claimed the attorneys violated confidentiality policies by revealing board voting patterns, threatening the integrity of future deliberations. However, the firings raise questions about political retaliation and whether Donald Trump's recent Oval Office meeting with Peters influenced the timing.

Polis now faces criticism not just for the original clemency decision, but for silencing dissent within his own advisory structure. The controversy undermines public trust in Colorado's executive clemency process and suggests deeper tensions within the Democratic Party over election denial cases.