President Trump has boldly stepped into a Colorado controversy with a pardon for Tina Peters, a former county clerk convicted of election interference.
Trump announced the pardon on Thursday for Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison after a state court conviction in August 2024, The Hill reported.
His Truth Social post declared, “Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections.” If demanding transparency in elections is a crime, then perhaps the system needs a harder look than Peters ever gave it.
Trump’s pardon carries a glaring hitch: presidents hold no authority to overturn state convictions. Peters, found guilty on seven counts, including four felonies, remains under Colorado’s jurisdiction despite the gesture.
The former clerk’s actions, tied to accessing voting systems in May 2021 with a stolen security badge to aid MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s unproven claims, landed her in this mess. Trump’s move signals support for those challenging election integrity, even when the law disagrees.
For months, Trump has pressed Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to release Peters, even threatening “harsh measures” if ignored. Polis, unmoved, seems content to let state law run its course while Trump’s words echo louder than his legal reach.
Peters, a cancer survivor, has faced harsh treatment in prison, with her lawyers reporting numerous attacks. Trump highlighted her health struggles in recent calls for state leaders to free her, amplifying the human side of this legal battle.
Last month, the Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons sought to transfer Peters to federal custody through a letter to Colorado’s Department of Corrections. That request hit a brick wall, denied without hesitation by state officials.
Trump’s frustration boiled over online, targeting Polis with sharp words: “This lightweight Governor, who has allowed his State to go to hell (Tren de Aragua, anyone?), should be ashamed of himself.” Such criticism paints a picture of a governor out of touch, though Polis likely sees it as standing firm on state sovereignty.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser didn’t mince words, stating on 9News’s “Next with Kyle Clark” that Trump’s pardon “undermines” the state’s judicial system. He’s right to note that states control their own criminal justice processes, but dismissing a president’s concern over a conviction tied to election disputes feels like missing the bigger question.
Weiser doubled down, saying, “This president doesn’t respect the rule of law, but he doesn’t have authority to undermine how we operate our judicial system here in Colorado.” Fair enough on authority, yet brushing off Peters’ case as merely a legal matter ignores why so many still distrust the 2020 election’s handling.
The conviction stemmed from a jury trial, with appeals still pending in state courts, as Weiser emphasized. But when public faith in elections wavers, technical adherence to process won’t quiet the unease Trump’s pardon attempts to address.
Trump’s “FREE TINA!” rallying cry on social media captures a sentiment shared by many who see Peters as a whistleblower rather than a criminal. Her actions, however misguided or illegal, tap into a raw nerve about election security that deserves more than a dismissive shrug.
This pardon, though legally toothless, forces a conversation about federal versus state power, and whether election integrity concerns are being sidelined by bureaucratic rigidity. Peters’ nine-year sentence might stand, but Trump’s gesture ensures her story won’t fade quietly behind prison walls.
Colorado’s refusal to budge, paired with Trump’s relentless advocacy, sets up a clash that’s less about one woman and more about the soul of trust in our democratic systems. If nothing else, this saga reminds us that justice and perception rarely align as neatly as the law books suggest.