Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk infamous for her role in a 2020 election conspiracy, will remain behind bars in Colorado despite efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to secure her release.
Peters is serving a nine-year sentence after being convicted of multiple felonies for giving Trump supporters access to the local voting system in an attempt to investigate baseless MAGA conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
The push to free her hit a roadblock after DOJ pardon attorney Ed Martin admitted to pressuring state officials to transfer Peters to federal custody—a move that could have made her eligible for a Trump pardon. Martin told MAGA influencer Steve Bannon that he applied “the right kind of pressure” on state officials to try to get her moved. “If the feds say we want something, you change your tune,” he said.
But Colorado isn’t budging. “Requests to transfer inmates from the Colorado Department of Corrections emanate from the state, and not from other entities. The Department is not currently seeking any transfer,” spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez told 9News.
Trump has called Peters a “hostage,” but while she remains in state custody, he has no authority to pardon her. For Peters, that means serving her sentence in full, despite the high-profile campaign to free her.
The saga highlights the lengths to which Trump’s circle has tried to protect figures convicted of undermining election integrity.
Watch the 9-News report below:
