Griswold, House Republicans speak after impeachment resolution gets hearing

Gabrielle Franklin
·3 min read
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DENVER (KDVR) — A hearing is scheduled in the effort to impeach​ the person in charge of Colorado’s elections: Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

Almost all of the House Republicans at the state Capitol want to force her out because she has said former President Donald Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6th. But that is not the only reason they want to oust her.

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House Republicans said they are tired of Griswold being partisan in her official role. Meanwhile, Griswold and Colorado’s House speaker both said this is all just a political stunt.

“It’s unfortunate that the House Republicans are doing this proceeding, but ultimately, I won’t be intimidated,” Griswold said.

Every House Republican representative except for Rod Bockenfeld and Stephanie Luck is co-sponsoring the resolution that no one expects to go far. House Republicans said they filed this resolution back in January at the start of session, but it was just read across the desk and introduced in the House on Thursday.

“We decided to bring this resolution forward based on last year with the secretary of state standing behind the removal of President Trump from being on the ballot for reelection,” said state Rep. Ryan Armagost, a prime sponsor of the measure, along with House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese.

Griswold, McCluskie respond to impeachment effort

Republicans list Griswold’s involvement in Griswold vs. Anderson — in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Trump an eligible presidential primary candidate — as the motive behind the impeachment effort. They also said Griswold is unfit for office, saying she shows partisanship.

“I do not care how many silly antics they pull. Ultimately, I think it’s a shame to see massive misinformation being pushed by House Republicans, and it’s a shame that they are wasting taxpayer money. But I am going to keep on doing my job — that’s serving the people of Colorado and protecting our democracy for every eligible voter,” Griswold said.

Resolution sponsors and the House Judiciary chair will each choose four witnesses to testify before the committee for an hour each, and each witness can testify for 10 minutes.

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House Speaker Julie McCluskie had strong words about the hearing:

“Hearing this resolution in the Judiciary committee will limit the time wasted on this topic, while respecting that it is a top priority for House Republicans to have it introduced and openly debated. In an age when misinformation and conspiracy theories attack the integrity of our elections, we believe a public hearing to set the record straight on this issue is in the best interest of our democracy. This resolution, by the sponsor’s own admission, is a political stunt to gin up MAGA support for House Republicans. It’s clear that the minority’s primary complaint is that the Secretary of State shares the view of the Colorado Supreme Court that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. Instead of protecting our democracy, Republicans are defending Trump.”

Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie

The resolution is set to be heard next Tuesday in the House Judiciary committee. It is not expected to go any further than that.

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