Polis and Griswold elbow out the locals | Jimmy Sengenberger | Columnists | gazette.com

Nov 01, 2024

Gov. Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold usually project different vibes in office. While Polis strives to appear above partisan politics, Griswold defines hyper-partisanship. But if the past week is any indication, these prominent Colorado Democrats aren’t as far apart as they seem.

In Aurora, the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang seized several apartment complexes, leaving residents in lawless zones rife with assaults, extortion and shootouts.

City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has been a vocal advocate amid this crisis. Since initially dismissing the issue as a figment of her “imagination,” Polis has buried his head in the sand — including on Sunday talk shows.

At a recent council meeting, Jurinsky challenged him: “I’m asking you to call me and see the videos that I’m in possession of because we need leadership, Jared. If you do not call me, the videos will come out.”

Instead of engaging, Polis’ office called the cops on Jurinsky for supposedly withholding evidence already in APD’s hands. “If the city council member is holding on to evidence of a crime, she should reach out to law enforcement immediately,” Polis spokeswoman Shelby Wieman told Denverite, adding they’d “alerted state law enforcement” about the potential evidence.

Over the weekend, Jurinsky released videos of Jurinsky with Aurora police interviewing several migrants at one apartment complex, aided by a translator. In these harrowing interviews, residents recounted chilling experiences of fear and exploitation.

One woman revealed she’d paid “rent” via Zelle — clear extortion. Others, including a young woman, voiced feeling unsafe amid guns and chaos. A woman, blurred alongside two others at a kitchen table, described disturbing incidents of apparent sex trafficking in nearby apartments, where girls were forcibly dragged inside, their cries for help in Spanish unanswered. When they called the police, the response was grim: no officers were available.

Let’s be clear: Illegal immigrants who have been extorted, trafficked and intimidated are the most vulnerable victims. Why is Polis actively ignoring this reality instead of helping migrant victims?

“By not reaching out to me and, in fact, calling the police on me, it’s clear what his stance is. He’s playing politics with people’s lives,” Jurinsky told me.

“Who do you call for help when the police are already in the video?” she continued, noting APD leadership already possesses the videos and police reports. “I wanted to have an honest conversation with the governor.”

Internal APD communications indicate that, as early as October 2023, ICE intelligence revealed TdA planned to make Denver their U.S. headquarters, threatening “violence toward anyone who encroaches on their territory.” Another bulletin warned of 400 TdA members involved in serious crimes nationwide.

Why does Polis refuse to take this seriously, ignoring migrants’ plight?

Meanwhile, Griswold has demonstrated contempt for the seriousness of voter fraud — hastily holding a press conference last week to detail a scheme involving twelve ballots intercepted and voted by others.

Fortunately, this was human error, not a systemic issue. The system caught nine fraudulent ballots as intended, which should reassure votes. Three ballots slipped through signature verification and were wrongly counted because one election judge failed to forward them for bipartisan review. This extraordinary occurrence hasn’t happened Colorado’s 11 years of all-mail ballots, and clerks statewide are enhancing procedures to prevent future mistakes.

Did Griswold consult Mesa Clerk Bobbie Gross before going public? It sure seems not.

“I am fully committed to ensuring the integrity and security of our elections,” Gross said in a statement. “Our priority is to handle this investigation with the utmost care… prematurely releasing details could compromise our ability to hold those responsible accountable.”

“While we understand the Secretary of State’s desire to make public statements, this is our community and our investigation,” Gross continued, warning against “tipping off those involved.”

Boom — way to call out Griswold for being the publicity hound she is.

Let’s be real: Griswold rushed to publicize this information to play hero. She overstepped — divulging data before all the facts were in — and should let investigators do their jobs. Her “Griswold Media Moment” can wait until after the election.

Whenever Griswold has an opportunity to lead, she chooses political gamesmanship. Immediately after taking office, she replaced the nonpartisan leadership team with loyal Democrats, many of whom soon left amid unprecedented turnover. She consistently prioritizes showmanship over service, from a symbolic travel boycott of Alabama over abortion laws to spending federal relief funds on a D.C. PR firm under the guise of “voter education.”

In 2020, Griswold sued the U.S. Postal Service over a mailer encouraging voters to plan ahead for mail-in ballots, claiming “voter suppression.” In truth, the lawsuit fueled national drama over Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Democratic target.

As head of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, she elevated her national profile and became a fulcrum in a dark money network funding campaigns nationwide, including her own. She championed removing Donald Trump from Colorado’s ballot — an effort blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A fixture on MSNBC and CNN, Griswold casts herself as a folk hero for “voting rights” — yet her record of self-serving, hyper-partisan activities casts doubts on her every move. For those seeking reasons to distrust Colorado’s elections, Griswold’s interference with Mesa County’s investigation pours fuel on the fire.

Let’s be clear: Polis and Griswold have snubbed local elected officials, betrayed public trust and demonstrated a complete lack of seriousness and respect. Such behavior is unacceptable. Coloradans deserve better — especially when it comes to the fundamental roles of local government, public safety and election integrity.

Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter.

Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter.