Trump calls for disgraced election official linked to his ‘Big Lie’ to be freed – as Colorado officials dig their heels in
War About the fate of Tina Peters A disgraced Colorado election official convicted of felonies related to his efforts to interfere in the 2020 election on Donald Trump’s behalf got even tougher on Sunday. intervention by the president himself.
Peters remains in Colorado prison After he was convicted on seven charges last year, He remains adamant that he acted within the bounds of legality and personal responsibility when he allowed an associate of MyPillow salesman and Trump loyalist Mike Lindell access to a secure room to create a copy of a hard drive containing data on the 2020 presidential election results for the state of Colorado.
Last week, the state’s Department of Corrections received a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to take Peters into federal custody. The reason for the request was neither stated nor clear: Peters has not been convicted of any federal crime because his case was adjudicated at the state level. The request came directly from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, one of the president’s appointees and his former personal attorney.
The purpose of that demand now seems clear: Trump called for Peters’ immediate release on Sunday.
“NO FREE COLORADO PRISON, DIARY AND ELDERLY TINA PETERS FOR TRYING TO EXPOSE VOTER FRAUD IN THE 2O20 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION!!!” he wrote in one of his Truth Social critiques of Trump, written in all capital letters.
Tina Peters, who was photographed during her trial, had health problems that resurfaced while she was in custody, her lawyer said (AP)
According to his lawyer, the 70-year-old Peters’ health condition is deteriorating again while he is in prison. In February, he applied for bail while appealing his conviction, citing fibromyalgia as well as a decline in his mental state and cognitive functions. He and his allies likely hope to leave the case outside of state jurisdiction in the hands of federal courts, potentially even the U.S. Supreme Court.
His lawyers added in the February filing that Peters had previously suffered from lung cancer and was still being monitored for a recurrence of the disease.
Final approval of the transfer rests with Colorado Governor Jared Polis. He is a Democrat, and the state’s Democratic attorney general called on Polis to deny the request.
“Tina Peters stands alone as an example of the nefarious actions and consequences of election denialism,” Jenna Griswold said in a statement Friday.
Governor Jared Polis will ultimately decide whether Peters will be taken into federal custody
“His intentional and criminal actions were carried out in support of Donald Trump’s ‘Big Lie.’ He violated Colorado law and his duty to administer Mesa County elections. After a thorough trial, he was found guilty of his crimes by a jury of his peers. Peters is serving time in state prison for state crimes that harmed his community and violated the trust in his office. He was incarcerated for violating Colorado law.”
Trump’s effort to protect Peters comes after so-called clemency czar Ed Martin announced a list of amnesty aimed at protecting other individuals Who helped the Trump campaign in its efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He had previously threatened the state over Peters’ conviction in August. He wrote on Truth Social that he would take “drastic measures” if not released.
These efforts to overturn the election results ultimately failed, resulting in a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by the Trump campaign and its allies. I ordered fake voter lists from the states The president claimed he won the election and attempted to get Republican-controlled state legislatures to recognize these fake electors and give them the authority to vote for Trump in the Electoral College, contrary to the election results in their states.
Pardons were granted to these individuals as well as members of Trump’s own legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman and others.
Members of Trump’s 2020 campaign legal team, including Jenna Ellis and Rudy Giuliani (left and centre), were among those pardoned by the White House this month (REUTERS)
A presidential pardon represents both the chief executive’s power and its limits.
Pardons issued by the president cannot protect individuals from prosecution for violating state laws or eliminate such convictions when they occur. As a result, Peters cannot (legally) be released by Trump without a state or federal court overturning his conviction on valid legal grounds.
But transferring Peters to federal custody would give the federal government broad discretion regarding his living conditions in custody. Peters, if Police let him, could face a scenario similar to the one Jeffrey Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell is currently enjoying. reportedly working on a transition application He remains in federal prison for crimes related to Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring.
Maxwell has refused to cooperate with Congress, which has ignored Trump’s calls to drop the Epstein investigation, which has become a major political liability for his administration.
