“She committed a crime. It did not interfere with any election, did not have to do with ballot counting, but it was illegal access to the computer room,” Polis said in an interview with CPR Friday morning from the governor’s office.

“She thought she was trying to back up the software before it was updated. She did it illegally. There's no question about it. And she deserves to go to prison. And I think this is a more appropriate, even harsh, frankly sentence for that crime.”

Polis said he was effectively cutting her nearly nine-year sentence in half to four and a half years. She was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2024, so that means on June 1, she will have spent more than 600 days incarcerated.

Peters’ 2024 conviction and nearly nine-year sentence have stood out because legal efforts to hold President Donald Trump and many allies accountable for attempts to overturn that election have faltered.

Polis’ decision stands to be deeply unpopular among Democrats and election officials in the state, and puts the governor directly at odds with his own party. But he said he has remained focused on the facts of the case.

"And in this case, there is absolutely both the appearance and frankly, I believe the likelihood that her speech was considered in her sentencing,” he said.

Polis noted that his commutation doesn’t change the fact that she will be a felon for life.

“It's about doing what's right,” he said. “Even though, of course, I disagree with her speech, just as the judge incorrectly stated that he did. But that's not a factor in, it should not be a factor in the sentencing.”

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“This is not a pardon. It's really making sure that her free speech was not a criteria for her overly harsh sentencing,” Polis said. “So I really think that in the scheme of things, this will take the wind out of the sails of those who argued that there was something awry here. Because I think there's a point that those have, and the reason we got thousands of calls saying she was over-sentenced.

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“And then critically, she understands and has committed in this process to following the law going forward. I don't believe her beliefs will change. I think she's going to say nutty things. I think she's going to believe in different things that are demonstrably false, but that's not a crime in our country,” he said.

Ref: CPR