Tina Peters says Democrats will ‘cheat’ in midterms

Tina Peters, a former elections clerk convicted of multiple charges related to security breaches of Colorado’s 2020 presidential election results, on Monday accused Democrats of trying to “cheat” in the 2026 midterms.

Peters, who was ordered in 2024 to serve nine years in prison before Democratic Gov. Jared Polis commuted her sentence last month in the wake of a pressure campaign from President Donald Trump, made the accusations on Steve Bannon’s podcast shortly after her release from Colorado’s La Vista Correctional Facility. She did not provide evidence for her claims.

“I see these elections that are taking place in real time: the Mamdanis, the Virginia governor — Spanberger — and then what’s going on in California and Texas and Maine — just all over the country,” Peters said. “And I know that the Democrats are going to cheat, and no one’s really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for, and that was exposing the election machines that allow the votes to be flipped.”

Peters was convicted in 2024 of attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, violation of duty and other crimes by jurors in Mesa County after allowing an outside computer expert affiliated with My Pillow Chief Executive and fellow Trump supporter Mike Lindell to access the county’s Dominion Voting Systems computer server as it was updated in 2021.

Her case became a flashpoint for conspiracy theorists who claimed, as has she, that nationwide election fraud was the reason Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

Trump himself championed her case throughout her trial. After an appeals court upheld her conviction in April, the president pressured Polis to commute Peters’ sentence. Polis eventually did, though he received widespread backlash from party members of his own state.

In a statement to POLITICO, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said he remains “concerned” about Peters’ conduct.

“Tina Peters may be free from prison, but she isn’t free from the crimes she committed tampering with her county’s election equipment,” Weiser said. “She is a convicted felon, and I remain concerned about her conduct upon returning to Mesa County given her lack of remorse for her crimes. I will continue to fight Tina Peters’ efforts to overturn her conviction in the courts. The safety of our elections and the rule of law require it.”

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement that Peters’ clemency was an “affront to democracy” and the people of Colorado.

“It sends a dangerous message about accountability for those who would attack elections,” Griswold said. “Peters’ release also will embolden the election denial movement; since the grant of clemency, she has continued to spread election falsehoods and conspiracies.”

Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement last month, “Reducing her sentence sends the wrong message to those seeking to undermine trust in our elections and it will do nothing to deter Donald Trump’s illegal attacks on Colorado. I strongly disagree with this decision.”

And Sen. Michael Bennet, who is running to succeed Polis, said in a statement, “I vehemently disagree with Governor Polis’s decision to commute her sentence.”

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Polis pointed to the governor’s lengthy Sunday post to Substack where he defended his decision to grant Peters clemency.

In his post, Polis said he made a “straightforward decision” after reviewing the facts and reading the Appeals Court decision. He added that he does not agree with Peters’ claims of a stolen election, nor does he believe she was innocent, but he concluded that “her sentence was simply too long,” noting she was “a first-time, non-violent offender.”

“She may continue making claims about elections that I believe are false. She may continue promoting ideas that I strongly disagree with. I hope she doesn’t. But in America, people are not sent to prison for expressing political views, however misguided those views may be,” Polis wrote.

Polis warned that if Peters violates the law again, “she should be held accountable for her actions.”

“The punishment should fit the offense — no more and no less,” he added. “That principle should not change based on whether we agree with someone’s politics, speech, or beliefs.

المصدر: Politico