Former President Donald Trump has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in the case of Tina Peters, the ex-Mesa County Clerk currently serving a nine-year sentence in Colorado for election-related crimes.
In a fiery social media post Monday night, Trump referred to Peters as an “innocent Political Prisoner” and accused Democrats of holding her hostage for political reasons. He wrote that she was being subjected to “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” and directed the DOJ to take “all necessary action” to help free her. He ended the post emphatically: “FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!”
Peters was convicted in August by a Mesa County jury on seven counts—four of them felonies—after she allowed unauthorized access to secure county election systems. She had claimed she was trying to uncover election fraud, but investigations and audits have consistently found no evidence of wrongdoing or manipulation of election equipment. 
Despite this, Peters remains a celebrated figure in right-wing circles that continue to dispute the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Trump’s post is the latest step in a broader federal push to question or reverse her conviction. In March, the DOJ made a legal filing in an attempt to intervene in Peters’ case—an action Colorado officials called legally baseless.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has dismissed the DOJ’s involvement, labeling it a “grotesque attempt to weaponize the rule of law.” His office pointed out that the federal government has presented no evidence suggesting Peters’ prosecution was politically motivated.
Peters is serving her sentence at La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo. Governor Jared Polis has not received a clemency request from Peters, and his office has stated clemency decisions will be made based solely on merit.
Trump’s statement also included broader attacks on Democratic leadership, accusing them of ignoring violent crimes while punishing Peters, whom he described as a “69-year-old Gold Star mother.”
While Peters maintains her innocence, state audits continue to affirm that Colorado’s elections were secure and accurate. The only confirmed case of voter fraud in Mesa County from the 2024 election involved two women who attempted to test the system by stealing and casting mail ballots. One of them, Vicki Stuart, pleaded guilty earlier this week.
