Trump pardons former Colorado elections clerk, but it alone won’t free her from prison
The Associated PressDEC 13
Trump: Colorado Clerk to Be Pardoned Despite State Conviction Limits
Is Trump's symbolic pardon of Peters drawing attention to a patriot who's been unfairly jailed, or is she a criminal whose pardon is constitutionally invalid?
Above: Tina Peters in Sedalia, Colo. on June 28, 2022. Image credit: Marc Piscotty/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump's announcement draws attention to Peters, who is a political prisoner who was jailed for demanding honest elections and exposing Democrat voter fraud in 2020. She simply preserved election evidence she was legally required to keep. It's no surprise Colorado's Democratic leadership rebuked Trump, but at least Peters should now be protected against federal criminal charges.
Anti-Trump narrative
Peters wasn't jailed for wanting secure elections but for criminal conduct — allowing unauthorized access to voting equipment, copying sensitive election data and leaking it to conspiracy theorists. Presidential pardons don't apply to state convictions, making Trump's announcement legally meaningless and nothing more than a corrupt signal that breaking the law for him earns protection.
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All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0