President Trump stands with Tina Peters as Colorado officials lash out over lawsuit
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President Trump defended Tina Peters, the Colorado election official punished for exposing serious voting-machine vulnerabilities, even as state leaders rushed to frame his criticism as retaliation.
President Trump publicly supported Tina Peters, a former Colorado election official who was sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for facilitating unauthorized access to voting equipment. Peters was convicted of multiple misdemeanors and felonies after a jury found she ordered surveillance cameras turned off and allowed a non-employee to copy proprietary software, actions Secretary of State Jena Griswold described as a breach of election security.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a lawsuit alleging that the president used "bullying" and threats to punish the state for Peters' conviction. Weiser said the president’s actions, including the denial of federal wildfire aid and threats to withhold food assistance, constituted a retaliation campaign against Colorado.
The White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said the decision to deny wildfire aid was unrelated to Peters, emphasizing that disaster-relief decisions were not politicized. In May, Governor Jared Polis commuted Peters' sentence after she had served less than two years, stating that the original term was excessive. The Colorado County Clerks Association criticized the commutation, accusing the governor of yielding to presidential pressure.
Since her release, Peters has resumed speaking at election-denial events and met with President Trump at the White House. She maintains that voting machines are vulnerable and that her actions were justified, despite court findings to the contrary.
Federal funding previously delayed for Colorado, including $47 million for water projects and wildfire assistance, has been reinstated. Election officials expressed concern that the president’s advocacy for Peters has amplified mistrust of election workers and the voting system.