Trump demands release of ex-Colorado clerk Tina Peters jailed for election breach — warns of harsh measures

Tina Peters Colorado election data breach: US president Donald Trump has once again publicly called for the release of Tina Peters, a former Colorado election clerk sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in breaching election data, as per a report.

Donald Trump’s Social Media Plea: “Free Tina Peters”

He wrote on his social media side Truth Social, saying, “FREE TINA PETERS, a brave and innocent Patriot who has been tortured by Crooked Colorado politicians, including the big Mail-In Ballot supporting the governor of the State,” as quoted by The Guardian.

Trump added that, “Let Tina Peters out of jail, RIGHT NOW. She did nothing wrong, except catching the Democrats cheat in the Election. She is an old woman, and very sick. If she is not released, I am going to take harsh measures!!!” as quoted in the report.


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What Was Tina Peters Convicted For?

Peters, was convicted in 2024 of multiple felony charges including misconduct, conspiracy, and impersonation after she allowed an outside election activist to access county voting equipment using false credentials, as per The Guardian. The materials and passwords were then published online on social media platform Telegram and on the rightwing outlet the Gateway Pundit, according to the report.

She was found guilty by a jury in Mesa county in 2024 of seven counts, out of which four were felony charges, and was then sentenced later that year to nine years in prison, as reported by The Guardian. While the ex-election clerk's attorneys had argued for probation instead of prison time, according to the report.

During her sentencing at that time, Judge Matthew Barrett pointed out that Peters had not shown remorse for her actions, saying, she was “as defiant as a defendant that the court has ever seen” and that he was “convinced you’d do it all over again if you could," as quoted in The Guardian report.

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Ongoing Legal Battles and Appeals

Meanwhile, Peters’ attorneys have filed an appeal of her conviction and are trying to get her out on bond, arguing in a federal habeas corpus petition that her bond denial comes from her exercise of first amendment rights, with her lawyer saying that she “has been made to stay in prison because people are afraid of what she would say," as quoted in the report.

Can Trump Pardon Tina Peters?

However, this is not the first time Trump has called for Peters’ release, even in May, he said in social media posts that she was an “innocent Political Prisoner” who was part of a “Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020," as quoted by The Guardian.

Since she is convicted of state-level crimes, the US president cannot pardon her, but the Colorado governor, Democrat Jared Polis, could pardon her, according to the report. Even Trump’s justice department had submitted a court filing in March, that said it would be reviewing the case for potential “abuses of the criminal justice process," as reported by The Guardian.

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FAQs

Who is Tina Peters?
Tina Peters is a former Colorado election clerk convicted of breaching election data, as per The Guardian report.

Why was Tina Peters sentenced to prison?
She was found guilty of felony charges related to allowing unauthorized access to county voting equipment, as per The Guardian report.