Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tried to defend his actions of releasing Tina peters before she completed her prison sentence but his reasons came off weak and feckless.
Polis joined CNN Friday night to discuss Trump's lie-filled Thursday speech on election integrity and the host questioned his credibility on the issue because of his releasing of Tina Peters.
COATES: And I'm curious of your take, given his speech, because you did grant clemency to an election denier, Tina Peters.
She met with Trump at the White House after she was released.
She praised the president for the very same speech that you obviously take issue with and went as far as to urge him to declare a national emergency.
What do you say to people who think that, based on your actions of granting that clemency, you may not be the best messenger on election integrity in this issue?
POLIS: Well, I think, if anything, I have a greater moral ability to talk about it, because I'm able to say that, look, even though she has abhorrent opinions that, you know, she expresses and has expressed, we're not a country where we put people in jail for that.
You're in jail for specific crimes.
She committed a crime.
The governor said he had issue with the judge and his sentencing, but by her commutation, Polis looks weak, feckless and manipulated by Trump.
COATES: Well, do you believe that Tina Peters is remorseful now based on what she has said?
POLIS: I'm glad she's no longer a martyr, for sure. I think that there were a lot of people saying, oh, my gosh, she must know something, why are they keeping her in prison longer than she should be for the crime she has committed?
Now, she's just out there saying, you know, the same kind of nonsense that so many other people are saying.
Nobody cares if Peters was trying to be a martyr or if the MAGA cult of nuttery promoted conspiracies on her imprisonment.
Trump is still trying to undermine and overthrow free and fair elections.
By commuting her sentence you handed Demented Donald a victory, no matter how slight it is.
Howie Klein and I supported Jared Polis' previous campaigns, but my late, great friend would be furious over Polis letting that creep go.
