As it happens, Tina Peters didn't need Trump's fake pardon to get out of her nine-year sentence for felonies related to providing unauthorized access to voting equipment when she was the elected clerk and recorder of Mesa County. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis stepped in, and now she's due to be released on June 1st, even though she has shown little remorse for her lawless actions.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said his state will not release Peters after Trump announced he is pardoning her state-level convictions, then Polis changed all that, saying, "Clearly, her free speech -- however much we disagree with it -- was used as a factor in that sentencing."

However, Peters was convicted in August 2024 on seven of ten charges of engaging in a security breach to advance a false conspiracy theory of election fraud. That doesn't sound like a violation of her free speech rights, Jared. Still, he commuted her sentence.

And now he's facing consequences. Imagine that.

Nearly 90% of the Colorado Democratic Party's central committee voted to censure Polis, a formal rebuke that temporarily prohibits him from appearing or speaking at party events. Polis has dismissed the effort — driven by hundreds of fellow Democrats — as politically motivated, CBS reports.

Yeah, no.

"This was not just a one-act. This was a months-long pattern of deception to try to violate every security protocol we had as the person we entrusted specifically for that," Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubenstein said.

Rubenstein noted that Peters' sentence could have gone as high as 20 years, and he pointed out that even Polis's own clemency board advised against reducing it. Polis, however, maintained that he weighed feedback from thousands of Coloradans and ultimately followed his own judgment, describing his approach as humble and data-driven.

Rubenstein pushed back hard on that characterization, arguing that overriding the counsel of everyone directly involved in the case isn't humility — it's arrogance. Meanwhile, the Democrats behind the censure effort contend that Polis's actions undermine his party's core commitment to protecting democracy, a charge the governor flatly rejects, insisting his decision was itself an act of upholding it.

Following their censure vote, the Colorado Democratic Party released a formal statement elaborating on remarks that state party chair Shad Murib had already made after Polis announced his decision to reduce Peters' sentence the previous Friday.

In part, it reads, "Reducing her sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is not justice. It sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you're friends with the president. That's a dangerous and disappointing precedent to set."

Oh, look, it's consequences!

Until further action by the State Central Committee or Executive Committee, Governor Jared Polis shall not participate as an honored guest, featured speaker, or officially recognized representative of the Colorado Democratic Party at Party-sponsored events and functions, including but not limited to the Obama Gala and DemFest.