A panel of lawmakers will review an impeachment resolution filed by House Republicans against Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Tuesday afternoon. 

According to an email sent to the resolution’s sponsors, Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, the hearing in the House Judiciary Committee will allow for limited public testimony.

House Speaker Julie McCluskie of Dillon emailed the sponsors on April 4 to inform them that the committee chair had developed a framework for the hearing based on consultation with the Office of Legislative Legal Services.

The structure is compliant with both House rules and the GAVEL amendment. That 1982 constitutional amendment requires every bill to get at least one hearing.

Testimony for House Resolution 1006 will be limited to four witnesses for each side, chosen by the sponsors and the chair in consultation with Griswold.

Each side will testify in a panel of four, with remote testimony allowed.

Each witness has 10 minutes. After testimony is completed, the committee members will have up to an hour to question each panel, with time evenly split between majority and minority members. 

Weissman’s memo to the judiciary committee, also dated April 4, said resolution sponsors also will be allowed 10 minutes to present the resolution, with 20 minutes reserved for committee questions. 

The Secretary of State will be given 10 minutes to testify, followed by 20 minutes of questioning from the committee. 

Weissman’s memo said no additional witnesses would be allowed.

House Republicans, in a statement Monday, claimed public testimony would not be allowed. According to Anna Winfrey of the Pueblo Chieftain, state GOP Chair Dave Williams, during Saturday’s state assembly, encouraged people to testify today, stating, “If you would like to storm – maybe storm isn’t the right word-overflow into the capitol …”

The procedure laid out by Weissman is unusual. 

HR 1006 focuses on Griswold’s comments supporting the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision to bar Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from the ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on March 4 that Trump could appear on the ballot, and votes cast in the March 5 primary awarded him most of the state’s Republican delegates.

HR 1006 claims 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.

McCluskie called the resolution a waste of time.

“Hearing this resolution in the Judiciary committee will limit the time wasted on this topic, while respecting that it is a top priority for House Republicans to have it introduced and openly debated,” the speaker said. “In an age when misinformation and conspiracy theories attack the integrity of our elections, we believe a public hearing to set the record straight on this issue is in the best interest of our democracy.”

McCluskie also described the resolution as a political stunt designed to “gin up MAGA support for House Republicans.”

On Tuesday, Griswold said, “Colorado House Republicans are pursuing conspiracies and political games, instead of getting real work done for Colorado. I will not be deterred from protecting our Constitution and democracy. Sham proceedings, attacks and even threats will not stop me from doing the right thing.”