When President Donald Trump was sworn in for his return to office Monday for a second term, it was a historic moment for the country — and a relatively muted one for much of Colorado’s highest profile politicians.

Some Colorado Democrats were uncharacteristically silent on the event and what Trump said from the U.S. Capitol.

Here’s a roundup of notable public comments by Colorado officials:

Gov. Jared Polis, who attended the inauguration as the chair of the National Governor’s Association, reiterated a weekend statement in an X post Monday: “The relationship between states and the federal government is critical to getting things done and delivering for Americans, and I look forward to making sure that the voice of the Governors and the states is heard in Washington D.C.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Republican congresswoman for eastern Colorado in the 4th Congressional District, tweeted “Daddy’s home!!” paired with Time Magazine’s recent cover illustration showing Trump back at the desk in the Oval Office. In a follow-up statement, she said Trump’s inauguration “marks the start of a new, magnificent era for America.”

“Coloradans should know that President Trump and Vice President Vance will put their interests first and I am thrilled to work with them to enact an agenda that prioritizes the 4th District’s needs,” she wrote. “We will unleash our oil & gas producers to make America energy dominant, secure our Southern border to protect our families from crime and fentanyl, and get our ranchers, farmers, and Colorado’s agriculture community the support they need to continue feeding families across our state and country.”

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat who represents the 7th Congressional District in the center of the state, quoted former President Joe Biden in her own X post: “You can’t love your country only when you win.”

“While this is far from what we wanted to see, I will still try to work with the new administration when possible,” she wrote. “However, I am also ready for the fight ahead to protect our freedoms, our democracy, and increase opportunity for working people.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, the Republican newly elected to the Colorado Springs-centered 5th Congressional District, posted a photo from the Capitol and added, “Let’s make America great again!” Fellow Republican newcomer U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, from northern Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, also posted a photo from the ceremony and said he was “so honored to be a part of a historic day for our country.”

Colorado’s third newly elected Republican, U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd of the Western Slope, wrote: “It was an honor to be a part of the peaceful transfer of power and to celebrate our Constitution and American democracy. Congratulations to (Trump). I am eager to work together and deliver for (the 3rd District). Republicans are ready to get to work!”

In a statement published on his website, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow — who represents Aurora — called on Trump to work with Democrats to address the cost of housing, food and gas.

“Donald Trump won the election and is our new President,” he wrote. “… I have always made it my priority to get results for Coloradans. With President Trump taking office, I will work to find common ground with President Trump to meet our country’s challenges. I’ll also not be afraid to continue speaking up on issues that matter most to Colorado.”

In a post on X, the Colorado Democratic Party wrote that Trump’s victory “was not the result that many of us worked for, and this is going to be a difficult day for many as we watch Donald Trump and his cabinet of billionaires prepare to take our country backward.”

“The many challenges facing Colorado, our country, and the world call for leadership that can rise to the moment, bridge our divides, and work toward the betterment of all,” the party wrote. “That said, we all know Trump’s track record from his first time, what he campaigned for, and we have the receipts to show how unlikely it is that regular working people will benefit from his presidency. If this is anything like last time, the rich will get richer while the rest of us struggle to get by.”

As of 2:30 p.m., the Colorado Republican Party and neither of Colorado’s U.S. senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, had appeared to make any public remarks about the inauguration.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

Originally Published: January 20, 2025 at 2:59 PM MST

WASHINGTON — Thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after he lost the 2020 presidential election. Four years later, some of them — including Colorado’s self-described “J6 Praying Grandma” — are allowed to return to the nation’s capital so they can celebrate Trump’s return to the White House.

At least 20 defendants charged with or convicted of joining the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol have asked federal judges for permission to attend President-elect Trump’s second inauguration Monday in Washington, D.C., according to an Associated Press review of court records.

The majority can go. Several others cannot.

In most cases, Justice Department prosecutors have argued that Capitol riot defendants shouldn’t be able to return to the scene of their crimes while they’re under the court’s supervision.

“What’s past is prologue, and the defendants could easily find themselves in another situation where they engage in mob violence,” a prosecutor wrote in opposing a New York couple’s travel request.

At least 11 defendants have received the court’s permission to attend the inauguration, a day when Trump may issue mass pardons to Capitol rioters. Judges have denied requests made by at least eight others. One request was pending on Saturday.

Many other convicted Capitol rioters may be free to attend if they have completed their sentences. Typically, those who remain under the court’s supervision after an arrest, a probation sentence or release from prison must get a judge’s approval to travel outside their home district.

Among those who can attend is Deborah Lynn Lee, a Pennsylvania woman accused of posting social media messages calling for the execution of her political opponents in the days leading up to the riot. Lee was charged in August 2021, was convicted of four misdemeanors after a trial in October and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27.

Justice Department prosecutor Carlos Valdivia argued that Lee’s return to Washington would endanger Capitol police officers and “create an absurd situation.”

“Lee’s presence in D.C. was restricted for years to keep the community safe, but in a few days, she would be allowed to return to attend a ceremony that demands heightened security,” Valdivia wrote.

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui approved Lee’s request, noting that she isn’t accused of engaging in violence and has complied with her release conditions. The magistrate said Lee “is coming to celebrate, not demonstrate” this time.

“While the Court is tasked with predicting the future, this is not ‘Minority Report.’ There has to be credible evidence of future danger to justify related release conditions,” Faruqui wrote.

District Judge John Bates agreed to let a New York couple, Carol Moore and Kevin Moore, attend the inauguration while awaiting a trial in April. Prosecutors argued that police officers could be “retraumatized” by the Moores’ presence, but Bates said it was unlikely that any officers at the inauguration would recognize them.

“First, past is not prologue here,” the judge wrote. “The nature of the inauguration is wholly different from the last event the Moores attended that involved the transition of power. Put simply, the inauguration will involve a crowd largely supporting the peaceful transition of power, not opposing it.”

The couple’s attorney said the Moores plan to join others in displaying signs reading “Day One” — an appeal for Trump to make good on a campaign promise to pardon Capitol rioters on his first day back in office. Trump repeatedly has referred to Jan. 6 defendants as “hostages” and “patriots.”

The list of Jan. 6 riot defendants allowed to be in Washington on Monday also includes a New Jersey man who reported himself to the FBI, a New Hampshire woman who must serve a four-month prison sentence and a New Jersey man accused of using a bullhorn to encourage other rioters.

Prosecutors didn’t object to allowing Colorado bed-and-breakfast operator Rebecca Lavrenz — who calls herself the “J6 Praying Grandma” — to attend the inauguration while she is on probation. Lavrenz said her daughter is serving as the deputy director of Monday’s swearing-in ceremony after working on Trump’s campaign last year.

Among those barred from attending the inauguration are Jared Miller, a Virginia man charged with assaulting police. Miller’s attorney, Stephen Brennwald, said Monday’s inauguration presents a “completely different scenario” than the 2021 riot. The lawyer also argued that his client’s conduct that day is irrelevant to his travel request.

“No longer will the participants and observers be in the District out of anger, ready to fight to try to wrest back the power they felt had been unjustly taken from them. Rather, they will be cheering the person they support, and law enforcement will not be in an antagonistic position to those attending the event,” Brennwald wrote.

District Judge Rudolph Contreras denied Miller’s request, pointing to his assault charges.

Russell Taylor, a California man who had a knife and a hatchet in his possession when he helped other rioters overrun a police line outside the Capitol, said he was invited to attend the inauguration by former U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, a six-term Utah Republican who resigned in 2023.

District Judge Royce Lamberth, who sentenced Taylor to six months of home detention, said it wouldn’t be appropriate to allow somebody who tried to thwart the last presidential inauguration to attend “such a hallowed event.”

“To attend the Presidential Inauguration, which celebrates and honors the peaceful transfer of power, is an immense privilege,” Lamberth wrote.

Judges also rejected the travel requests made by a North Carolina man who participated in the first act of violence against Capitol police on Jan. 6, a Mississippi man charged with assaulting officers with a flagpole and a Maine man accused of attacking police with bear spray.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

Originally Published: January 20, 2025 at 7:47 AM MST