Latest news with #TinaPeters
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Tina Peters? Gold Star mother sentenced to prison amid election controversy
On Memorial Day 2025, posts on X trended demanding the release of Tina Peters, a 70-year-old Gold Star mother and former Mesa County, Colorado, Clerk and Recorder, sentenced to nine years in prison. Convicted in 2024 for her role in a 2021 election security breach involving voting machine tampering, Peters has become a polarising figure. Supporters, including prominent voices on X, view her as a patriot exposing election fraud, while critics argue she undermined democracy. Her case, now under U.S. Department of Justice review, continues to spark heated debate. — liz_churchill10 (@liz_churchill10) Tina Peter's background and role as Mesa County clerk Tina Peters served as Mesa County Clerk and Recorder from 2019 to 2023. As a Gold Star mother, having lost her Navy SEAL son, she garnered sympathy from some quarters. Her tenure was marked by controversy when she became embroiled in efforts to challenge the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, aligning with claims of widespread voter fraud. Peters, a Republican, gained attention for her actions in 2021, which led to criminal charges. Her supporters argue she acted to protect election integrity, while detractors say her actions were illegal and dangerous. Public reaction and calls for release The case has divided public opinion. On X, supporters, including figures like Kari Lake, have called Peters a 'patriotic hero' unfairly targeted for exposing alleged election irregularities. Posts trending on Memorial Day 2025 highlighted her as a Gold Star mother, framing her imprisonment as politically motivated 'lawfare.' Conversely, critics, including Colorado officials, argue her actions justified the sentence, accusing her of endangering democracy. Some Republican leaders have even urged President Trump to withhold federal funding from Colorado to pressure for her release, a move opposed by state authorities. The 2021 election security breach In 2021, Peters was accused of orchestrating a data breach by allowing unauthorised access to voting machines in Mesa County. She allegedly facilitated the copying of sensitive election data, which was later leaked online. Prosecutors claimed this was part of an effort to support unproven election fraud theories. Peters was convicted on charges including attempting to influence a public servant and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. Her actions were condemned by election officials, who argued they eroded public trust in the electoral process, leading to her nine-year sentence in October 2024. Legal proceedings and sentencing Peters' trial in Grand Junction, Colorado, drew significant attention. In August 2024, she was found guilty on multiple felony counts. On October 3, 2024, a judge sentenced her to nine years, criticising her for 'crimes and lies' that compromised election security. Peters has since been transferred to a state prison, with reports of solitary confinement sparking outrage among her supporters. She is currently awaiting a response from the Courts of Appeals on her request for release, while the U.S. Department of Justice reviews her case for potential abuses of the justice system. Trump's involvement and DOJ review In early 2025, former President Donald Trump publicly supported Peters, posting on Truth Social to urge the Department of Justice to secure her release. The DOJ, under Republican leadership, began reviewing her case in March 2025, citing concerns over potential prosecutorial overreach. This move has faced resistance from Colorado's deputy attorney general, who called it an unprecedented federal intervention in a state conviction. The review has fuelled speculation about a possible pardon, with Peters herself expressing hope for negotiations with Trump, whom she met in 2022. Ongoing controversy and implications Peters' case remains a flashpoint in debates over election integrity and judicial fairness. Her supporters view her as a martyr for questioning the 2020 election, while opponents see her conviction as a necessary deterrent against election interference. The DOJ's involvement and calls for her release underscore broader tensions between state and federal authorities. As her appeal progresses, the outcome could set precedents for how election-related crimes are handled, particularly in politically charged contexts. For now, Peters remains a symbol of division, with her fate uncertain as public and political pressures mount.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
The Bulletin May 6, 2025
The rundown: President Donald Trump has demanded the immediate release of Tina Peters, a Colorado election clerk who was jailed for tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Read more. Why it matters: Writing on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said: "Radical Left Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser ignores Illegals committing Violent Crimes like Rape and Murder in his State and, instead, jailed Tina Peters, a 69-year-old Gold Star mother who worked to expose and document Democrat Election Fraud. In August 2024, Peters was found guilty of seven of 10 charges in a 2021 breach of Colorado's election system. She was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public official; conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation; official misconduct; violation of duty; and failure to comply with an order by the secretary of state. The jury acquitted her on three other charges: conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, criminal impersonation and identity theft. Read more in-depth coverage: Trump's Alcatraz Prison Idea Faces Scrutiny Over Costs TL/DR: Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison in October 2024, making her the first election official in the U.S. convicted of criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. What happens now? Trump said that 'Colorado must end this unjust incarceration of an innocent American. I am hereby directing the Department of Justice to take all necessary action to help secure the release of this 'hostage' being held in a Colorado prison by the Democrats, for political reasons. FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!" Deeper reading Who is Tina Peters? Donald Trump Demands Jailed Election Clerk Be Released
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Champions Tina Peters in Social Media Post
Grand Junction, Colo. (KREX) – The criminal trial of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters began right here in Grand Junction and has since captured the nation's attention, including that of President Donald Trump. Just yesterday, the President took to social media fiercely advocating for Peters, who was sentenced in October of 2024 to nine years of incarceration after a jury found her guilty on seven counts for her role in a data breach scheme linked to the 2020 presidential election. In a May 5th dated post on Truth Social, President Trump calls for the Department of Justice to take 'all necessary action' to secure her release. He calls Peters a 'hostage' being held in a Colorado prison by the democrats for political reasons, and an 'innocent Political Prisoner', describing her as 'horribly and unjustly punished in the form of Cruel and Unusual Punishment.' The president also directly mentions Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, labeling him 'Radical Left', and calling Peter's situation a 'Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020.' Attorney General Phil Weiser released a statement to us in response saying quote, 'Tina Peters is in prison because of her own actions. A grand jury indicted her and a trial jury found her guilty of breaking Colorado's criminal laws. No one is above the law. The Colorado Attorney General's Office will continue to defend this criminal conviction in post-conviction proceedings and on appeal. We are firm in pursuing justice for the people of the state of Colorado, protecting free and fair elections, and standing up for the rule of law.' We've reached out to the Department of Justice for comment on President Trump's most recent order but have yet to receive word. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Demands Release Of Election Denier ‘Hostage' Convicted By Colorado Jury
President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Tina Peters — a key supporter who was behind one of the most significant election security breaches in years — be freed from incarceration in Colorado, where she's serving a yearslong prison sentence. Peters is a former county clerk found guilty on seven counts by a jury of her peers in state court last year. In a Truth Social post Monday night, Trump referred to Peters' prosecution as 'a Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020.' He attacked Colorado's Democratic attorney general, Phil Weiser, and demanded the Justice Department 'take all necessary action to help secure the release of this 'hostage' being held in a Colorado prison by the Democrats, for political reasons.' Trump said Peters, who he called an 'innocent Political Prisoner,' had 'worked to expose and document Democrat Election Fraud' — repeating his yearslong lie that he didn't actually lose the 2020 election but, rather, was the victim of an impossibly complex, nationwide fraud scheme. What Peters actually did — while working as the elected county clerk in Mesa County, Colorado — was allow a computer analyst associated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell into a secure in-person software update for the county's election machines, in yet another unsuccessful effort to sow doubt about Joe Biden's 2020 win. Tina Peters, who at the time was serving as Mesa County, Colorado's clerk, talks to well-wishers at a 2022 rally in downtown Denver. via Associated Press The analyst, former pro surfer and RVCA founder Conan Hayes, attended the software update, using the name and recently issued office badge of a Mesa County local. Images of the update process, known as a trusted build, were later shared online and at a 2021 'symposium' on the 2020 election results hosted by Lindell — around the same time state officials arrived at the Mesa County clerk's office to investigate. Ultimately, a Colorado jury convicted Peters on four felony counts (three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation) and three misdemeanors (official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state). Peters was acquitted on three felony counts, one each of identity theft, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and criminal impersonation. The case represents one of the most significant U.S. election breaches to result from Trump's attack on the voting process. Prosecutors described Peters as 'a fox guarding the henhouse,' and Colorado Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her to nine years behind bars, calling her a 'charlatan' who'd peddled election 'snake oil.' 'You're as defiant as a defendant as this court has ever seen,' Barrett told Peters during sentencing. 'Tina Peters is in prison because of her own actions,' Weiser, who's running for the Democratic nomination to succeed term-limited Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, told HuffPost in a statement responding to Trump's Truth Social attack. 'A grand jury indicted her and a trial jury found her guilty of breaking Colorado's criminal laws. No one is above the law. The Colorado Attorney General's Office will continue to defend this criminal conviction in post-conviction proceedings and on appeal. We are firm in pursuing justice for the people of the state of Colorado, protecting free and fair elections, and standing up for the rule of law.' 'A Grotesque Attempt To Weaponize The Rule Of Law' Despite the strong evidence, conviction and sentence against Peters — or maybe as a result of them — the Trump administration has since March made some unusually aggressive moves to help Peters. That month, the Justice Department took the unusual step of filing a statement of interest in a federal court case Peters has filed to challenge her ongoing detention while she appeals her state conviction. 'Reasonable concerns have been raised about various aspects of Ms. Peters' case,' the filing read, urging the court's prompt and careful consideration of Peters' habeas corpus petition. The filing also said the Justice Department was reviewing Peters' conviction under an executive order from Trump concerning federal law enforcement — specifically whether Peters' case was 'oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice or legitimate governmental objectives.' Weiser's office responded in a filing that the Justice Department's statement appeared to be 'a naked, political attempt to threaten or intimidate either this Court or the attorneys that prosecuted this matter.' The filing also called the Trump administration's filing 'a grotesque attempt to weaponize the rule of law.' 'Respondent Attorney General is unaware of the United States ever filing a statement in a habeas application challenging the State of Colorado's criminal proceedings, and the only interest it has articulated is a political concern wholly inappropriate in this judicial proceeding,' the filing read, adding that the Trump administration's 'suggestion that there is a uniquely important interest in advocating for this individual — because of her political views — is unprecedented, highly problematic, and a threat to the rule of law.' The Trump administration responded to the state's filing with its own, saying Weiser's office had 'baselessly assault[ed] the integrity of the Executive Branch while repeatedly referencing and denigrating Ms. Peters' purported political beliefs in a manner remarkably incongruent with the seriousness of a habeas proceeding.' The state responded that the administration was 'simply parrot[ting] arguments already advanced by Ms. Peters' counsel.' At a hearing two weeks ago, Colorado Chief Deputy Attorney General Natalie Hanlon Leh said of the federal government's recent involvement in the case: 'This cannot become a new norm.' On Monday, federal Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak denied what he construed as the state's motion to 'strike' the Trump administration's statement of interest, calling it 'premature.' Varholak separately on Monday ordered Peters to demonstrate why her habeas corpus application was not a 'mixed petition' — that is, improperly filed in federal court before she exhausted potential remedies in state court. Around the same time, Trump targeted the state's judicial process on Truth Social. Related...
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A two-tiered system: Trump calls for Tina Peters to be freed from prison
In early March, Donald Trump's Justice Department raised eyebrows with an unexpected move: The DOJ's civil division unexpectedly filed a brief in federal court, raising 'concerns' about the criminal conviction of a former Colorado clerk named Tina Peters. The effort didn't amount to much, but as NBC News reported, the president's interest in the case has apparently intensified. In a Truth Social post tonight, Trump called for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters to be released from prison and said he was directing the Justice Department to take 'all necessary action' to help secure her release. In a bizarre online harangue, Trump rewrote recent history, claiming that Peters simply 'worked to expose and document Democrat [sic] Election Fraud.' He added, 'Tina is an innocent Political Prisoner being horribly and unjustly punished in the form of Cruel and Unusual Punishment. This is a Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020.' In case that weren't quite enough, the president concluded, 'I am hereby directing the Department of Justice to take all necessary action to help secure the release of this 'hostage' being held in a Colorado prison by the Democrats, for political reasons. FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!' At this point, some readers might be thinking, 'Her name sounds familiar, but I'm not quite sure who Tina Peters is.' So let's take a stroll down memory lane. Peters was a county clerk in Colorado who eagerly embraced Trump's lies and conspiracy theories about his 2020 election defeat, but that's not all she did. Peters also acted on those lies and conspiracy theories, using someone's security badge to allow a Mike Lindell associate to access county election equipment. The apparent point of the endeavor was to leak election machinery data in pursuit of a conspiratorial plot that never existed in reality. Not surprisingly, Peters was caught and indicted. She pleaded not guilty, but after she and her attorney struggled to present a compelling defense, a Colorado jury convicted Peters, finding her guilty of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state. Ahead of sentencing, Peters showed no remorse. A judge ultimately sentenced her to nine years behind bars. This was a state official, charged with state crimes, by state prosecutors, in a state court, with a state jury, overseen by a state judge, which necessarily means neither the president nor his Justice Department can overturn Peters' criminal conviction. But Trump apparently finds that unsatisfying; he wants to free his conspiratorial ally anyway; and he's willing to make up a series of ridiculous claims about her felonies as part of a public defense, up to and including accusing local prosecutors of overseeing 'a Communist persecution.' Time will tell what, if anything, the Justice Department can do about Peters' incarceration. For all of the hysterical and baseless Republican conspiracy theories during Joe Biden's presidency about 'weaponized' prosecutions and a 'two-tiered' justice system, Trump and his team are creating the very conditions the GOP condemned. The incumbent president — through his scandalous pardons, his intervention in cases such as Peters' and his willingness to sic prosecutors on his perceived political enemies — is going out of his way to make clear that his allies will be held to different legal standards than everyone else. The brazenness is so plainly ridiculous, the Republican administration is hardly even trying to keep up appearances — and there's every reason to believe this will get worse in the coming days, weeks, months and years. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on
