'Rot in hell': Trump lashes out at Colorado governor, GOP prosecutor over Tina Peters conviction

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump unleashed a furious attack on Colorado Governor Jared Polis and a Republican district attorney on Wednesday, December 31, accusing them of persecuting former county clerk Tina Peters and telling them to “rot in hell.”

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump lamented Peters’ imprisonment, calling her a patriot and framing her conviction as punishment for challenging what he again described as “massive voter fraud” in Colorado.

Peters, 73, is serving a nine-year sentence in a Colorado maximum-security prison.

Tina Peters's conviction tied to 2020 election interference

“God Bless Tina Peters, who is now, for two years out of nine, sitting in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison, at the age of 73, and sick, for the ‘crime’ of trying to stop the massive voter fraud that goes on in her State,” Trump wrote, before turning his ire on Polis and the prosecutor who pursued the case.

To the “Scumbag Governor” and a “disgusting ‘Republican’ (RINO!) DA,” Trump said he wished “only the worst,” adding, “May they rot in Hell. FREE TINA PETERS!”

Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, was convicted on seven state-level charges stemming from efforts to interfere with election systems following the 2020 presidential race.

Prosecutors said that she used her public position to grant an associate of MyPillow CEO and election denier Mike Lindell unauthorized access to Mesa County election software.

The charges included three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of criminal impersonation, among others. She was sentenced to nine years in prison under the Colorado law.

Trump’s 'pardon' claim falls short

Earlier this month, Donald Trump claimed in another Truth Social post that he had granted Peters a “full pardon,” portraying her prosecution as part of a broader Democratic effort to punish those who questioned the 2020 election.

In that post, Trump accused Democrats of ignoring violent crime while targeting individuals who, he said, sought “safe and secure elections,” calling Peters a “Patriot” imprisoned for demanding “honest elections.”

However, Peters was convicted of state crimes, which places her beyond the reach of a presidential pardon.

Under the Constitution, a president can only pardon federal offenses, not state-level convictions.