President Donald Trump on Thursday reportedly issued a full pardon for former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted in state court on election-interference charges in August 2024.
While a presidential pardon cannot overturn a state conviction, Trump used the action to send a pointed political message — declaring Peters a victim of what he calls a weaponized justice system aimed at silencing those who questioned the 2020 election.
“Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!”
Peters, a prominent figure among election-integrity activists, was convicted on seven counts — including four felonies — for allowing unauthorized access to county voting equipment in 2021. She was sentenced to nine years in a Colorado state prison. Her attorneys have warned that Peters has faced repeated assaults behind bars.
For months, Trump has publicly pressured Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to intervene and free Peters, even warning of “harsh measures” if he fails to act. The president blasted Polis earlier this month, calling him a “lightweight Governor” who has let Colorado “go to hell,” pointing to criminal-migration concerns such as the Tren de Aragua gang.
“FREE TINA!” Trump wrote.
The Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons sent a request last month asking Colorado’s Department of Corrections to transfer Peters to federal custody, but the state denied it. Trump again urged state leaders to release her, noting she is a cancer survivor and accusing prosecutors of political retaliation.
According to state prosecutors, Peters stole a county employee’s security badge and allowed an outside individual to access voting systems in May 2021. They allege the purpose was to assist businessman Mike Lindell in his effort to find evidence supporting claims of 2020 election irregularities.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser condemned Trump’s pardon as an attack on the state’s justice system. “Our system of government gives states authority to run their own criminal justice systems,” Weiser said on Denver’s NBC affiliate 9News. He argued the case followed proper legal channels — a trial, a jury conviction, and now a state-level appeal. “This president doesn’t respect the rule of law,” Weiser claimed, insisting Trump has “no authority to undermine” Colorado’s judicial process.
Despite the political backlash, Trump’s pardon underscores his determination to champion those who aligned themselves with his efforts to scrutinize the 2020 election. Even without legal force, the gesture signals that Peters — and others punished for challenging election procedures — will remain central figures in the broader fight over election transparency.
Peters’s legal appeal continues, while Trump’s pardon sends a clear message to his supporters: he intends to stand with those who stood with him.
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