President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Tina Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, on Thursday. Trump said that Peters was sentenced to prison for the “‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections” following the controversial 2020 presidential election.
In a Thursday statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “For years, Democrats ignored Violent and Vicious Crime of all shapes, sizes, colors, and types. Violent Criminals who should have been locked up were allowed to attack again. Democrats were also far too happy to let in the worst from the worst countries so they could rip off American Taxpayers. Democrats only think there is one crime – Not voting for them!”
Trump claimed that instead of enforcing laws to protect Americans, Democrats have used America’s justice system to “prosecute” any individuals who want U.S. elections to be safe and secure.
“Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest,” Trump added. “Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections.”
In his Truth Social post, Trump said he was granting Peters a full pardon for her “attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election.”
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According to The Hill, Peters was sentenced to prison after being found guilty on seven counts, including four felony charges of election interference. The Post Millennial reported that Peters was convicted over her involvement in a security breach of Mesa County’s election equipment in 2021, which allowed unauthorized users to access voting system information.
Following Trump’s announcement on Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) released a statement on social media, saying, “Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney, and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation. No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders.”
The Colorado Democratic Party also released a statement describing Trump’s pardon as “meaningless” and labeling Peters as an “election denier.” The Colorado Democratic Party also claimed that Trump does not have the “legal authority” to demand that Peters be released from prison due to the former clerk’s conviction on state charges.
Meanwhile, Republican Party of Colorado Chairman Brita Horn told Fox News, “We trust the President has done his due diligence in this matter in the name of justice. We call upon Colorado to follow the direction of President Trump and this pardon.”
