Tina Peters is serving nine years in prison for seven 2020 election-related crimes, but President Donald Trump is again demanding her release, calling her “a brave and innocent Patriot who has been tortured by Crooked Colorado politicians” during a recent barrage of social media posts.
“Let Tina Peters out of jail, RIGHT NOW,” wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform. “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!!!”
The demand was among the many posts Trump unleashed late Wednesday, Aug. 20, and early Thursday, including condemnations of mail-in voting and voting machines. Trump says he favors paper ballots. Trump has argued the only ways Democrats can win elections is by cheating.
Trump also vented criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom he called “Newscum.” One post claimed Trump’s approval rating was 59%, but Pew Research Center says his approval is 38% as of Aug. 14, the lowest in his second term.
Peters, a 69-year-old former Colorado county clerk, became an election-denying celebrity after granting conspiracists access to voting machine data that was soon published online and appeared in presentations by Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder who funded a movie about Peters.
In June, a Denver jury found Lindell guilty of defaming Dominion voting company executive Eric Coomer and fined Lindell $2.3 million.
Trump has been making noises about Peters for months. In March, he asked the U.S. Justice Department to “review” her conviction. In May, he asked the Justice Department to “to take all necessary action to help secure the release” of Peters. The department has not commented on its progress on Trump’s requests.
Peters was convicted in a state court and can only be pardoned by the governor.
Peters was convicted in a state court and can only be pardoned by the governor. Peters’ supporters have petitioned the governor to do just that.
In a previous post, Trump wrote: “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. Tina is an innocent Political Prisoner being horribly and unjustly punished in the form of Cruel and Unusual Punishment.” He called her conviction “Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020.”
Peters has continued to claim innocence and says she was acting as a whistleblower when she granted outsiders access to the county’s voting machines. She is appealing her October conviction, but it’s not clear what Trump can actually do for her, other than cut state funding, as he has done in other jurisdictions.
Another Peters supporter has asked Colorado to investigate the judge who presided over her case, making the novel claim that District Judge Matthew D. Barrett failed to disclose a conflict of interest — namely that he was elected to his office by voters using the voting machines Peters said were rigged.
Barrett received death threats in October after sentencing Peters to prison and delivering a stern rebuke: “You abused your position and you’re a charlatan who used and is still using your prior position in office to pedal a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again in your world.”
Peters’ shenanigans cost Mesa County, which has a population of 160,000, $1.4 million. The county replaced the election machines she compromised and paid for a hand recount of 2020 votes, which showed no errors.
GiveSendGo, an online donation platform that helps raise funds for “J6 patriots” currently hosts three fundraising campaigns for Peters:
- The “Tina Peters Gold Star Mom” campaign seeks $50,000, and has raised $18,000. The page features a photo of Peters in prison.
- The “Unite with Tina’s Fight to Save America” campaign also seeks $50,000. “I know God put me here to do this job,” she writes in the campaign. “The truth matters. God, family and the future of this nation that we leave to those after we are gone truly matter. These are the things I continue fighting for. I will never give up. My fight is far from over and I can’t do it without you.
- A third fundraising campaign, “Free Tina Peters — Rebuilding Lives and Dreams,” seeks $15,000 and is organized by “a survivor of January 6” who says he was among the Capitol attackers pardoned by Trump. “I am raising $15,000 to fund a gifting ceremony upon her release.” The campaign has raised $200.
Peters has enjoyed the support of some churches and of health-and-wealth preacher Andrew Wommack.
Wommack’s political group, Truth and Liberty Coalition, has called Peters “courageous,” claims she’s “the epitome of the American patriot,” organized rallies for her and featured her on numerous videos (see here, here, here and here). The group’s media representative did not respond to a request for comment about Peters’ sentencing.
Colorado’s divided Republican party supported Peters in 2022 and urged prayer for her: “The GOP Stands with Tina Peters” for “her efforts to inform the entire country that our elections are compromised.”
Related articles:
Colorado election clerk found guilty of fraud in 2020 election
Judge calls Tina Peters ‘charlatan,’ sentences her to nine years for election crimes
Mike Lindell defamed voting company exec, must pay $2.3 million