A leaked recording reveals the deputy Secretary of State telling election clerks they didn’t plan to inform them of the online password security breach because it would cause a media frenzy of bad publicity.
We’re not sure which is more shocking. That Jena Griswold’s deputy actually admitted it, or that Kyle Clark of 9News has the recording and is reporting it.
NEW: An audio recording reveals Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) and her team didn’t tell county clerks that her office had inadvertently leaked voting machine passwords because they feared a media frenzy. “It’s bullshit,” a Democratic clerk replied. #copolitics pic.twitter.com/NWe4ej9Srp
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) November 15, 2024
Griswold and her team kept that secret for five days before the state Republican Party blew the whistle that hundreds of passwords needed to access voting equipment once inside county election offices had been leaked online.
The recording of Griswold’s deputy state secretary, Chris Beall, telling clerks about the security breach reveals the complete lack of transparency and professionalism in how Griswold’s office dealt with the crisis.
When Beall told Democrat Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum he appreciated how upset he was, the clerk responded for all Coloradans when he quipped: “I’m not upset Chris, I’m pissed off!”
“And it’s really hard not answering media questions the way I actually want to,” Zygielbaum added.
The passwords were only changed after the security breach was made public and Griswold was forced to respond.
Adding insult to injury, she now insists there was never any danger because passwords were changed, and because passwords could only used once access was gained to the county clerks’ offices, which she had no intention of informing.
Clark reports the conversation between Beall and county clerks statewide occurred after Griswold had already talked to the media first.
Beall told the clerks: “Okay, I will tell you all I can do is be as transparent as I possibly can. We were not going to tell counties because we could not tell counties without it becoming the media storm it has become.”
Zygielbaum: “That’s bullshit Chris.”
Just FYI, that is the complete and total opposite of transparency — keeping secrets, and then when forced to confess, claim transparency.
Meanwhile, Polis says he is content to let Griswold conduct her own “outside investigation” of what went wrong, with a backup investigation by the Democrat Party’s favorite District Attorney, Beth McCann.
When asked by Colorado Public Radio if he had confidence in Griswold, Polis responded:
“Do I think that somehow Jena Griswold went in and posted passwords? No, of course I don’t believe that. I don’t think anybody’s alleged that.”
In other words, there will be no outside investigation of what the Hell is going on under Griswold’s rule, because transparency.
The Colorado GOP now says it posted the audio yesterday on its website, and it’s even more shocking that what Clark reported. Listen to it here: