Republicans on Tuesday accused Colorado's top election official of "destroying" the integrity of her office during a rare impeachment hearing that rehashed many of the arguments for or against disqualifying former President Donald Trump from the state's presidential ballot.
Griswold, a Democrat, called it a "sham inquiry."
Republicans, who pushed for the impeachment resolution, sought to put Secretary of State Jena Griswold on the defensive, accusing the Democrat of using her authority to push a partisan agenda by, among other things, publicly weighing in on the disqualification case against Trump when, they said, she should have taken a neutral position precisely because of her position.
Democrats, in turn, accused the Republicans of bringing forth a case with no basis in facts, maintaining that Griswold didn't break any law and, in fact, followed court orders.
"She has destroyed the integrity of the office," said Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, one of the sponsors of the impeachment resolution against Griswold.
In outlining the case against Griswold, Armagost argued that Griswold "improperly exercised" her authority by "inserting herself" in the case against Trump.
Before the hearing, Griswold issued a statement that accused House Republicans of "(embracing) election conspiracies and political games."
"Every elected official should speak up about the attacks on democracy. Instead, Colorado House Republicans ignore the truth: Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and tried to steal the presidency," she said.
After five hours, the House Judiciary Committee killed the resolution on a 8-3 party line vote.
The outcome was expected.
The impeachment hearing — House Judiciary Chair Rep. Mike Weissman restricted the list of witnesses and carefully watched the time allotted to the speakers — was unlike almost any other at the Capitol. In addition to exchanging heated rhetoric, some of the hearing focused on Griswold's management of her office, including claims she has used her position to settle political scores with her critics. At times, Democrats tried to steer the conversation to Trump, noting the findings of a district court that he engaged in insurrection.
A divided Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump is barred from the presidential ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected that conclusion.
House Resolution 1006 focused on Griswold's comments supporting the Colorado Supreme Court's 4-3 decision to bar Trump from the ballot. It claimed that Griswold's statements constituted malfeasance in office, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office, and abuse of the public trust, and for that, she should be impeached.
Armagost, who presented the case against Griswold alongside Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, said the Democrat official should know that it is unlawful to remove a candidate from the ballot who has not been convicted of a crime.
Democrats pushed back.
Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, pressed Armagost if he agreed that the Jan. 6 riot was an "insurrection," noting the impeachment resolution called it an "alleged insurrection." Armagost did not answer the question.
Woodrow also read off statistics on the injuries suffered by law enforcement during Jan. 6 insurrection. He said three separate courts had determined Trump engaged in an insurrection but noted that the ballots that went out to voters included Trump's name on it, rendering his case against Griswold moot.
"Your allegation does not make sense," he said.
Vice-chair Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, noted an interview with 9News' Kyle Clark, in which Armagost indicated the purpose of the resolution was to get Republicans out to vote.
Was this just a "political game"? Bacon asked.
Armagost, who at times said the line of questioning from Democrats veered from the subject of the resolution, replied that his response was taken out of context.
Republicans on the judiciary committee argued for the resolution.
Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton, pointed out that although courts had said Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, he has not been convicted of it.
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