Political Sheet

Trump Colorado Retaliation Email Deserves Scrutiny

1 hour ago
by Scott K. James
4 min read
Editorial illustration of a White House email and Colorado Capitol representing scrutiny of federal actions toward Colorado.
The question is not who benefits from the spin. It is what the records show.
Written by Scott K. James

A White House email involving federal actions toward Colorado raises serious retaliation questions. The answer is records, facts and accountability.

Weaponized Government Is Still Weaponized When Your Guy Does It

Colorado Public Radio reports that members of Colorado’s congressional delegation are demanding answers after a December 2025 White House email surfaced during the state’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. The email, sent by White House official Emily Underwood to officials at several federal agencies, called for a discussion of “immediate actions” agencies could take regarding Colorado and ensuring federal grants and support aligned with administration priorities. It came after Colorado refused to transfer former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters to federal custody and declined to recognize President Trump’s clemency declaration because Peters was convicted under state law.

Colorado Democrats immediately reached for a word that has become Washington’s favorite emergency flare: weaponization. Sen. Michael Bennet accused Trump of using the federal government to punish Colorado, while Sen. John Hickenlooper called for agency inspectors general to investigate and demanded preservation of records related to the White House call. Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd offered the more useful formulation: we do not yet know all the facts, but if federal agencies were ordered to punish Colorado for political reasons, that crosses a serious line.

And there, buried beneath the partisan shrieking, is the actual issue.

The Bullet Point Brief

  • There is an email, and it deserves scrutiny. A White House official convened federal agencies to discuss actions involving Colorado shortly after the Peters dispute. That is not proof of unlawful retaliation. It is, however, more than enough reason to start asking uncomfortable questions.
  • Hickenlooper wants an investigation. Good. Have one. Preserve the records, pull the emails, identify who was on the call, determine what was ordered, and find out whether subsequent federal decisions were based on legitimate policy or political revenge. This is why God invented paper trails and inspectors general.
  • The Democrats have rediscovered “weaponization.” Funny how rapidly politicians become constitutional scholars when the machinery of government starts grinding in their direction. Apparently weaponized government is terrifying again. Somebody alert the merchandise department.
  • Trump does not get a constitutional hall pass because Democrats can be spectacular hypocrites. If administration officials actually used federal grants, disaster decisions or other government powers to punish Colorado over an unrelated political dispute, the proper conservative response is not applause. It is accountability. Government power does not become less dangerous because the person abusing it has an R after his name.
  • Coloradans are the ones underneath all this flying furniture. CPR reports the state’s lawsuit also involves the Space Command relocation and disputes over federal funding and other actions. Whatever ultimately proves justified or retaliatory, Washington treating an entire state like a political chew toy carries consequences far beyond the politicians holding press conferences.

My Bottom Line

Here is the grotesque little irony at the center of this thing. Colorado Democrats are now sounding the alarm about a federal government allegedly being weaponized against political enemies. And you know what? If they have evidence, they should sound it. Loudly. The Constitution does not contain an exemption saying abuse of power is acceptable when the victim once irritated Donald Trump.

But spare me the convenient conversion experience. Washington has spent years turning “weaponization” into a partisan vocabulary word, deployed enthusiastically whenever the opposing tribe controls the machinery. That standard is garbage. Either federal power has limits, or it does not. Either political retaliation is wrong, or it is merely another tool we cheer when our team finds the handle.

So investigate it. Not with cable-news adjectives. Not with fundraising emails. With records. Names. Dates. Orders. Consequences. If officials in the Trump administration directed agencies to punish Colorado for political reasons, identify them and hold them accountable. If the evidence does not establish that, say that too. Allegations are not convictions, even when Democrats put them in a press release.

And Colorado’s political class should resist its natural urge to turn this into another outrage pageant. Regular Coloradans do not exist to serve as collateral damage in Washington’s endless tribal food fight. Publish the receipts. Punish actual misconduct. And quit pretending weaponized government only becomes evil when the other assholes are holding it.

Source: Colorado Public Radio

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