Trump 'pardons' Tina Peters in Colorado election case but it's not enough to free her from jail

DENVER, COLORADO: President Donald Trump has issued a symbolic 'full pardon' to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk imprisoned in Colorado for election-related crimes, escalating an already tense political and legal battle with state officials.

Announcing the move in a Truth Social post, Trump framed Peters as a persecuted whistleblower punished for raising concerns about the 2020 election, claims long rejected by Colorado courts and state investigators.

The symbolic pardon follows months of public pressure from Trump and his allies, who portrayed Peters as a victim of partisan targeting. Peters, who had been serving a nine-year state sentence, became a prominent figure in pro-Trump circles despite being convicted for breaching her county’s voting-system security.

Donald Trump claims Tina Peters was punished for demanding 'honest elections'

In announcing the pardon, Trump sharply criticized Democrats and praised Peters as a patriot wrongfully imprisoned.

“Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest. Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!” he wrote.

Trump repeated the narrative he has promoted throughout his second term, arguing Democrats ignore violent crime while prosecuting political opponents.

“Democrats only think there is one crime – Not voting for them!” he said, adding that Peters had been attacked for wanting “Safe and Secure Elections.”

The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump believes he has authority to pardon individuals convicted of state crimes, a legal question at the heart of the controversy.

Legal experts and Colorado officials say pardon may not free Tina Peters

Trump’s intervention intensifies national attention on a case that has become a rallying point for election-conspiracy activists. Peters was convicted for actions tied to a 2021 breach of Mesa County’s voting equipment, which state officials said endangered election security.

Democratic Governor Jared Polis stated, “No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told Axios, “The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up.”

Senator Michael Bennet said on X, “Tina Peters is rightfully in Colorado state prison. Trump’s corrupt and political attempts at a pardon won’t work here.”

With Colorado refusing to recognize the pardon, Peters’ release now depends on state courts, meaning she is likely to remain incarcerated unless a judge rules otherwise.