Trump Pressures Colorado Governor on Tina Peters Clemency as Judge Cites Funding Threat
President Donald Trump has again demanded the release of former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk Tina Peters, who is serving a nine‑year state prison term after her 2024 conviction on seven counts, including four felonies, for a 2021 breach of county voting systems while searching for supposed 2020 fraud. In a new Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump called Peters, who is in her early 70s and has cancer, the victim of a 'nine‑year death sentence' imposed by a 'corrupt political machine' and urged Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to free her. Polis has publicly acknowledged that the sentence appears harsh compared with a former state lawmaker who got probation for the same offense, but says any clemency decision will hinge on whether Peters shows remorse and 'appropriate contrition,' which prosecutors and Attorney General Phil Weiser say she has not. Other Colorado Democrats, including Sen. Michael Bennet, oppose clemency and warn against bowing to what they describe as Trump’s drive for revenge. The article also notes that a federal judge recently found the Trump administration threatened to withhold U.S. Department of Agriculture funds from Colorado, characterizing it as potential retribution over the state’s refusal so far to pardon Peters, underlining concerns about political interference in both election administration and federal‑state funding.
📌 Key Facts
- Former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters was convicted in August 2024 on seven counts, including four felonies, tied to a 2021 breach of county election systems and is serving a nine‑year state prison sentence.
- On Wednesday, President Donald Trump again used Truth Social to urge Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to 'free Tina Peters,' calling her punishment a 'nine-year death sentence' and accusing a 'corrupt political machine' of targeting her for 'exposing fraud by the Democrats.'
- Gov. Jared Polis says he is weighing clemency partly because of sentencing disparities but insists any grant would require remorse and an apology, which officials say Peters has not offered.
- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Sen. Michael Bennet both argue clemency should not be driven by Trump’s political pressure and say Peters should not be pardoned or have her sentence commuted.
- A federal judge recently found that the Trump administration threatened to withhold USDA funding from Colorado in what was described as potential retribution related to the state’s reluctance to pardon Peters.
📊 Relevant Data
Voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election was extremely rare, with audits confirming no evidence of widespread fraud that could have affected the outcome.
Audits of the 2020 American election show an accurate vote count — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
The sentencing disparity cited by Gov. Polis involves different levels of crimes; Tina Peters was convicted of multiple felonies including conspiracy and tampering with voting equipment, while former Democratic state lawmaker Sonya Jacquez Lewis was convicted of a misdemeanor for providing false residence information on a voter registration form and received probation.
Polis makes up a 'sentencing disparity' for Tina Peters — Denver Gazette
Mesa County's Hispanic population increased from 13.3% in 2010 to 15.5% in 2022, while the White non-Hispanic share decreased accordingly, reflecting broader demographic shifts influenced by migration patterns post-1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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