Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday fired two members of the state’s clemency board after they spoke out against his controversial decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters – an election denier whose sentence was cut in half by the outgoing Democratic governor in May.

Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff told CNN they were fired after speaking out publicly, including in a New York Times article in June, in which they revealed secret details about the clemency process and criticized the governor for overruling the board. They told the Times the clemency board twice voted unanimously behind closed doors to reject Peters’ application for an early release from prison.

Polis’ decision in May to release Peters came after President Donald Trump waged a long pressure campaign against Colorado to free her. Peters – who was released from prison in June – was the last Trump ally still in prison for 2020 election-related crimes.

In letters to Taslimi and Proff obtained by CNN, Polis said the two members breached confidentiality by speaking out.

“Specifically, you breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members’ votes pertaining to a clemency application which you obtained only through your official position on this Board,” Polis wrote in the letters.

The two women told CNN they are disappointed they were fired — but not surprised.

“I’m not upset that he overrode our decision. I think what’s upsetting is that we understand why he did it, which is that you know Tina Peters had a powerful ally behind her,” Taslimi said. “She had political pressure applied in her name, and the governor capitulated to it, and that is what makes this unfair, and that is why I call it selective mercy, because you are giving her the benefit that you don’t give or apply to anyone else.”

Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for the governor, told CNN in a statement Wednesday, “Publicly disclosing board recommendations and how members vote on any case threatens the credibility of the board, colors future deliberations by the board and breaks clearly stated confidentiality policy articulated in the Executive Order which establishes this board.”

Proff, who served on the board for nearly eight years, said she understood the state rules around the closed-door clemency recommendation process “more as the confidentiality to protect the people who apply for clemency, not to protect the governor.”

The governor primarily justified his decision to release Peters by citing a recent Colorado appeals court ruling that found the trial judge violated Peters’ First Amendment rights by improperly punishing her for her protected speech about the 2020 election.

“It was a straightforward decision because, after reviewing the facts, and reading the Appeals Court decision, I concluded that her sentence was simply too long,” Polis wrote in a Substack post, where he condemned Peters’ crimes.

Now that they’ve been terminated, Proff worries there will be less transparency.

“I worry now that we’ve been terminated from the board what comes of this is that people are less likely to speak out … that politicians will go unchecked on these sort of decisions,” Proff said.

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed forward Adam Beckman to a two-year contract through the 2027-28 season. 

Beckman, 25, played for the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Islanders in 2025-26, recording 51 points (30g/21a) in 68 contests. The forward’s 30 tallies paced the Bridgeport club and marked a professional career-high. Beckman also ranked among Bridgeport-leaders in points (2nd) and assists (T-5th), and landed tied for sixth in goals among all AHL skaters. He picked up one point (0g/1a) in two Calder Cup Playoff Contests this season.

Originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the third round (75th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Beckman’s professional career has included 23 regular-season NHL appearances with the Wild where he registered three points (0g/3a) between 2020-21 and 2023-24. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 30, 2021 at Colorado and notched his first NHL point less than a week later on Nov. 6 at Pittsburgh with an assist (0g/1a).

A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Beckman has collected 199 points (104g/95a) through 304 regular-season AHL games with Bridgeport (2024-26), Utica Comets (2024-25) and Iowa Wild (2020-2024). Additionally, he has picked up two points (1g/1a) in four Calder Cup Playoff contests.

Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound left wing played parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, amassing 196 points (97g/99a) across 153 regular-season games. He collected 12 points (8g/4a) in 15 games in the Chiefs’ 2018-19 playoff run. In the 2019-20 campaign, Beckman received the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s top scorer with 107 points (48g/59a) over 63 regular-season contests, and also earned the Four Broncos Trophy as WHL player of the year. Additionally, he paced the circuit in goals and was named to the 2019-20 Western Conference First All-Star Team for his performance.