Colorado’s governor reduced the prison sentence of a former county clerk on Friday following sustained pressure from President Donald Trump, marking another instance where the president has intervened on behalf of individuals who supported his unfounded allegations of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump had actively supported the case of Peters, a 70-year-old former county election official who received a nine-year prison sentence after her conviction in a plot to illegally duplicate her county’s voting computer system. She is scheduled for release on June 1.
A Colorado appeals court confirmed her conviction in April but mandated a new sentencing hearing, ruling that the original judge improperly penalized her for publicly discussing election fraud claims – a ruling the governor had supported.
In his letter to Peters, Polis acknowledged that Peters had committed serious offenses and warranted incarceration. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes,” the governor stated.
He noted that Peters’ application “demonstrates taking responsibility for your crimes, and a commitment to follow the law going forward.”
President Donald Trump posted around the time of the announcement on his Truth Social platform: “FREE TINA!”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said “it was a dark day for democracy” and “selling out our state’s justice system for Trump is an affront to the rule of law.”
“A clear message is being sent to those willing to break the law and attack democracy for the president — they will likely not face consequences for their actions,” Griswold said at a news conference.
Peters had been incarcerated at a facility in Pueblo following her 2024 conviction by jurors in Mesa County, a Republican stronghold that backed Trump.
Peters secretly brought in an external computer specialist, connected to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, to duplicate her county’s Dominion Voting Systems election server during a state-mandated update in 2021. Following Peters’ appearance with Lindell at a “cybersymposium” that claimed to expose election manipulation evidence, footage and images from the system upgrade, including security passwords, appeared online.
Sen Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is running for Colorado governor, said he vehemently disagreed with the commutation and that Peters knowingly broke the law, undermined elections and was convicted by a jury.
“Lawlessness only breeds more lawlessness,” Bennet said. “With President Trump continuing to attack Colorado, we must do everything we can to stand strong for our institutions and the rule of law.”
Since Peters faced state rather than federal charges, she remained outside Trump’s presidential pardon authority, which he exercised to free those convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attacks. Nevertheless, the president continued advocating for her release.
Trump has harshly criticized both Polis, labeling him a “Scumbag Governor,” and the Republican prosecutor Daniel Rubinstein who handled her case, for maintaining Peters’ imprisonment. He has described Peters as “elderly” and “sick.” Trump excluded Polis from a White House governors’ meeting earlier this year due to this issue.
The president claimed Colorado was “suffering a big price” for refusing her release. His administration has been restricting funding, terminating federal programs and withholding disaster assistance. It also announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and moved the U.S. Space Command to Alabama.
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said the commutation “signals that it is open season on our election and election officials.”
“Gov. Polis is bending the knee to the same political voices and conspiracy theories that are undermining belief in our democratic institutions,” Crane said. “This is now Gov. Polis’ legacy. He will not be able to run from it.”
Peters’ legal team reported her health had deteriorated during imprisonment. Peters, who underwent partial lung removal in 2017, began experiencing persistent coughing when the prison activated its heating system for winter and struggled with sleep due to chronic fibromyalgia pain on her prison mattress.
Peters was involved in an altercation with another prisoner in January but was cleared of assault charges in a prison disciplinary proceeding, according to Colorado Department of Corrections spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez-Garcia. She was found guilty of unauthorized location access.
Federal prison officials attempted unsuccessfully to transfer Peters to a federal facility. However, in January, Polis indicated he was weighing clemency for Peters, describing her sentence as “unusual and harsh” for a first-time, non-violent criminal. He reiterated these points in a detailed March post on social media platform X.
“Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly,” Polis wrote.
Following criticism from other prominent Democratic state leaders, including the attorney general and Colorado’s chief elections official, Polis informed a Denver television outlet that Peters would need to demonstrate “appropriate contrition, apology” for clemency consideration.
Unlike many other Democratic governors, Polis, who considers himself a political independent, has occasionally adopted a cooperative approach toward Trump. Though he opposed Trump’s tariff and immigration policies, Polis endorsed certain presidential initiatives including the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, and the selection of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
