Fact Check: Colorado Governor’s Misleading Rationale for Freeing Election Denier Tina Peters
Polis cut the former Mesa County clerk’s prison term to less than two years after an appeals court said part of her sentence punished protected speech.
- On Friday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters' sentence to four years and four and a half months, allowing her release on June 1 to serve the remainder on parole.
- Peters was convicted in 2024 of seven felonies and misdemeanors after conspiring with allies of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to breach Mesa County voting equipment during a 2021 system update.
- The Colorado Court of Appeals concluded Judge Matthew Barrett erred by basing part of the sentence on protected speech; Polis argued that punishing her for beliefs, however 'crazy' and 'dangerous,' violates First Amendment rights.
- Condemning the decision as 'shameful,' Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and other election officials warned the commutation would 'validate and embolden the election denial movement,' though Polis called it 'tough but fair.'
- While Polis claimed the case was unrelated to 2020 election disputes, Mesa County prosecutor Dan Rubinstein disputed this, noting evidence showed Peters intended to help substantiate fraud theories; the county spent more than $1 million replacing compromised equipment.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Polis is wrong to free Tina Peters, caving to Trump (Letters)
With the reduction of Tina Peters’ sentence, Gov. Jared Polis has destroyed his own legacy. Peters was the one person who did not escape accountability for her election-related crimes, unlike almost everyone else, including Trump.
Colorado’s Dem Governor Commutes Tina Peters
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis sparked a political firestorm Friday after granting clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, the Trump ally convicted in connection with a voting system security breach tied to the aftermath of the 2020 election. Polis commuted Peters’ sentence to time served, meaning the 70-year-old former clerk will be released on parole effective June 1 instead of remaining incarcerated until late 2028. The move i…
Fact check: Colorado governor’s misleading rationale for freeing election denier Tina Peters
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis justified his decision to release election denier Tina Peters from prison with a series of false and misleading claims, inaccurately distancing her case from efforts to undermine the 2020 election.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
