Lauren Boebert claims Trump blocked Colorado water funds over Tina Peters prosecution
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Lauren Boebert stirred controversy on Friday, May 15, after suggesting President Donald Trump may have blocked federal funding for a Colorado drinking water project because of the prosecution and imprisonment of election denier Tina Peters.
The Republican congresswoman made the remarks shortly after Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted Peters’ nearly nine-year prison sentence.
Lauren Boebert credits Trump for Tina Peters release
Following the commutation announcement, Boebert praised Trump for standing behind Peters throughout the case and claimed their combined efforts helped secure what she described as fairness for the former county clerk.
“I’m proud of the relentless pressure my office and I applied, working hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump, to highlight Tina’s case and demand fairness,” Boebert said in a statement.
“This outcome would not have been possible without the continued pressure and advocacy from President Trump who always knew Tina deserved fairness under the law,” she added.
Peters had been serving a lengthy prison sentence tied to unauthorized access to election systems after the 2020 race that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Governor Jared Polis announced on Friday that Peters’ sentence would be commuted, with her release scheduled for June 1.
Lauren Boebert links water funding dispute to Tina Peters case
During comments to 9News Denver later on Friday, Boebert appeared to suggest that Trump’s administration had tied Colorado’s federal drinking water funding issues to Peters remaining behind bars.
“We were told that Tina was the reason we couldn’t get water,” Boebert said.
Her remarks immediately sparked comparisons to Trump’s 2019 impeachment controversy involving Ukraine, when he was accused of withholding congressionally approved military aid while pressuring Ukraine’s president to investigate Joe Biden.
Trump was impeached by the House over that matter.
Earlier this year, Trump vetoed legislation that would have funded a major drinking water project in Boebert’s Colorado district.
The proposal had already passed both the House and Senate unanimously and would have helped provide clean drinking water access to roughly 50,000 residents in the region.
Despite Trump citing financial concerns for vetoing the bill, Boebert publicly argued at the time that the president had previously supported the project before tensions escalated surrounding Peters’ imprisonment and political disputes in Colorado.
Lauren Boebert says lawmakers were afraid to challenge Donald Trump
Even after the House ultimately upheld Trump’s veto, Boebert directed frustration toward fellow lawmakers instead of criticizing the president directly.
“I am disappointed to see the lack of leadership, the amount of people that will fold, that will cave, that will not take a stand,” Boebert said at the time.
“This is a bill that in policy, no one in that chamber disagreed with. This was purely political and it’s very unfortunate,” she continued.
The congresswoman also suggested some Republicans were hesitant to openly oppose Trump because of political backlash.
“Folks are afraid of getting a mean tweet or attacked. And I came here to deliver for my constituents,” Boebert added.
