10-30-24 Interview - CO House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese - Calls For Jena Griswold to Resign

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I wanted to talk to Rose, but Gleasie. She is
a House Minority leader and they have issued a statement
about the Janet Griswold situation. Rose, thank you for making time.
I really appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, thanks, Mandy, I really appreciate you having me on.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Well, let's talk about what House Republicans are asking for.
What exactly are you guys looking for from the Secretary
of State's office.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
So basically what we have called for is for Jenna
Griswold to resign. I think we all know that there
have been a series of issues coming out of the
Secretary of State's office that has just a recklessess regard
for professional standards and transparency, which leads to distrust in
our election process. We can go back to the mailing

(00:43):
postcards to thirty thousand non citizens legally encouraging them to
regstra vote, falsely informing the voters that they hadn't voted
when they had, and now this closing election system. Pastors
on the internet like at some point that people of
Colorado need a competent secretary of State, and I think
that point.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Is now agree wholeheartedly and for those who are just
joining us who may not know the Secretary of States
off office put out documentation that accidentally included a hidden
page that contained all the passwords for the voting machines. Now, Rose,
in your knowledge, there are enough. Let me just ask

(01:21):
the question, do you feel like we need to worry
about the security of this upcoming election?

Speaker 2 (01:27):
I do not, and I'm on the ballot as well.
Right so at the candidate myself, I trust my clerk
and recorder. I trust the entirety of our clerk and
records from around the state. There are additional safeguards in
place to ensure the safety of our election system, Thank goodness.
But you know, I really do think turning our attention

(01:48):
to Jenner Griswald and the incompetence of her office is
really important. So please vote, Please get your voices heard.
I mean, I think that that is such an important
message right now. But we also have to make sure
that we put the blame where it belongs, which is
on Jenny Grissel.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
And you guys also lay out the other really egregious
mistakes that she has made over her tenure as Secretary
of State, and they're bad. These are not no big
deal things. And the thing that really got me Rose was.
And I put the interview that Jennick Griswold did with

(02:26):
Kyle Clark, and Kyle really pushed her on this. She
did not seem contrite at all. She seemed very cavalier
about it, very flippant about it, like, oh, it's yes,
it's passwords, but were she didn't even notify the county
clerks that this had happened. To me, that's the part
that I feel like really demands resignation, not so much

(02:48):
that it happened, but her response to it being well,
it's not that big a deal, when it truly it
is a huge deal.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I agree. I mean, I think the mismanagement of the office,
the incompetence of the office, especially over something so important
as our election system, I think that in itself definitely
warrants for resignation. But you're right, the fact that she
has failed to take responsibility for her actions just continues
to foster, just testing her in the system and her

(03:17):
ability to be able to do the job of Secretary
of State.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Well, I don't think there's any chance she's going to resign.
But have you had the opportunity to speak with any
of your Democratic colleagues to see how they feel about this,
and would any of them be willing to step forward
and say, you know what, we have too many people
who already doubt the election integrity here in Colorado. We
cannot afford to have these kind of mistakes, and she

(03:41):
should step down. Have you heard any of that?

Speaker 2 (03:45):
I have not heard that. In fairness, I have not
reached out to my Democrat colleagues at this point. I
do think focusing on making sure that people call her
at our inforums, that they show up to vote. I mean,
that is my priority right now. I do think we're
looking at it variety of options at the caucus as
to how we prevent something like this from going forward

(04:06):
and making sure that Donner's held accountable. So I think
we are still looking obviously all of this expression new
as you said, So still looking into all of our options.
But at this point, and really truly, if there's one
takeaway message other than Denner Goods Welture resign is that
please do get your ballots in, please do get your
voice heard. I think that that is such an important

(04:28):
takeaway for today.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
I saw some responses on X from people I'm assuming
are Republican saying things like this proofs that they're cheating.
There's not a point in voting. They're going to win anyway.
I don't know if they're Republicans, they could just be
people trying to rabble rouse but that message is so dangerous.
And message that you just gave that people need to vote,

(04:51):
and they need to get their ballots in and they
need to go to ballot tracks make sure they're counted
is incredibly important. And I'm hoping that that sort of
anti voting ways stays quiet and in the background.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
I agree we have a great opportunity to restore balance
in Colorado, but we can't do it alone. We need
people to show up to get their voices heard, to
make sure that they're balancing in so that they can
be counted. And again I touch I trust the integrity
of my county clerk. You're in al Paso County and
counting clerks that I know from across the state who
are working so hard to make sure every vote is

(05:25):
counted and that it's counted correctly. So please do get
out in vote.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
Rose, the Glasy House Minority Leader, thank you so much
for popping on and making some time for us.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Thank you, Mandy, all right, Thanks Rose,