In the shadow of a weaponized deep state that devours its own patriots like so many discarded ballot stubs, Tina Peters – grandmother, Gold Star mom and election watchdog – languishes in a Colorado prison hellhole, her iron bars a monument to the radical left’s unquenchable thirst for vengeance.
Rather than justice, most see it as the result of a Stalinist show trial, scripted by election-denying Democrats who fear the sunlight she dared to shine on their rigged machines.
And now, from the bully pulpit of the White House, President Donald J. Trump has roared his defiance of the corrupt system, branding Peters a “brave and innocent Patriot” tortured by “Crooked Colorado politicians” and demanding her chains be shattered immediately.
Trump, the unbowed warrior who survived impeachments, indictments and an assassin’s bullet, sees in Peters the mirror of his own crusade: a lone truth-teller crushed under the boot of a fraudulent regime that stole 2020 and now silences anyone who exposes the crime.
Thus it is that, in a chilling tale of justice gone awry, a small-town election official currently sits behind bars, her life upended by a system that seems determined to silence her.
Tina Peters, once the trusted Mesa County clerk, now faces a staggering nine-year prison sentence, convicted of crimes her own prosecutors essentially admit she didn’t commit.
Her “crime”? Daring to protect election records in the wake of the contentious 2020 presidential election, a fight that has left her career and life in tatters, her freedom stolen and her name smeared by a corporate press eager to paint her as a villain.
Yet, buried within the prosecution’s own words lies a stunning admission: Tina Peters may be innocent, a patriot punished simply for upholding the law.
As her appeal fights its way through a Colorado court, the real question is whether truth will prevail, or will a rigged system keep her caged?
Tina Peters’ appeal challenges conviction, alleges prosecutorial contradictions
Peters is appealing her October 2024 conviction on seven charges, including three felonies for “attempting to influence a public servant,” “conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation” and “first-degree official misconduct.”
Her appeal, filed May 30 in the Colorado Court of Appeals, argues that the district court erred in denying her immunity under the Supremacy and Privileges or Immunities Clauses, claiming her actions were lawful efforts to preserve federal election records. Peters’ attorneys assert the evidence was insufficient to support her convictions, that she was denied due process and that her nine-year sentence for alleged nonviolent crimes violates her First, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
The appeal highlights prosecutorial statements that appear to undermine their own case, suggesting Peters had the authority to act as she did and lacked the intent required for the criminal charges.
Prosecutors’ statements undermine their case
Peters’ appeal brief cites trial testimony that appears to exonerate her. David Underwood, a prosecution witness, testified that Peters, as the county’s chief election official, had the sole authority to decide who could access the voting system for a software upgrade known as the “Trusted Build.”
When asked if Peters made the decision to allow an observer, Underwood confirmed, “Yeah – she made the request. … She made the decision, correct? Not you.” (Trial Transcript, 8/5/24, 92:22-25).
Similarly, Danny Casias, another witness, could not identify any decision he was influenced to make due to alleged deceit by Peters (Trial Transcript, 8/5/24, 167:24-168:4).
Regarding Jessi Romero, a third witness, evidence showed Peters was not involved in communications that could have influenced Romero’s decisions (Exhibit 18, R. p. 26).
These statements, Peters’ attorneys argue, prove she acted within her authority and lacked the intent to deceive, a critical element of the felony charges.
Alleged voter fraud in Mesa County
Peters’ actions stemmed from concerns about voter fraud in Mesa County following the 2020 election. Her appeal notes that forensic reports revealed “shocking vulnerabilities and defects” in the county’s voting systems, raising major questions about their reliability.
These findings prompted Peters to preserve election data, as federal law (52 U.S.C. §20701) mandates retaining election records for 22 months, and Colorado law (C.R.S. §1-1-110(3)) extends this to 25 months.
Reports of irregularities, such as unexplained vote-count discrepancies and potential software manipulations, fueled her investigation.
Peters sent letters to the county board of commissioners, district attorney and county attorney, warning that the voting systems were “fundamentally flawed, illegal and inherently unreliable,” placing her office in legal jeopardy if data was destroyed.
Tina Peters’ path to prison
Elected as Mesa County clerk in 2018, Peters served as the county’s chief election official, responsible for ensuring compliance with federal and state election laws.
In April 2021, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered all counties to install a software update for voting machines, which Peters learned would delete 2020 election data – a violation of federal law.
Here is her indictment:
When Mesa County’s IT department declined to oversee the update due to lack of expertise, Peters engaged Conan Hayes, an IT consultant with a federal security clearance, to observe the “Trusted Build” and create forensic images of the election management system (EMS) hard drive.
On May 23, 2021, under Peters’ supervision, Hayes made these backups, preserving data that would otherwise have been lost. The prosecution alleged that Peters misrepresented Hayes as her employee, Gerald Wood, to gain access to the update process, accusing her of sneaking him into the facility.
However, the indictment itself acknowledges that county clerks were instructed to “back up any election projects on your voting system to removable media before our arrival” (Indictment, March 8, 2022, p. 10, ¶ 4).
Peters’ actions aligned with this directive, performed after hours to avoid system interference.
Despite this, she was indicted on March 8, 2022, and convicted after a trial in August 2024.
On Oct. 3, 2024, Judge Matthew D. Barrett sentenced her to nine years in prison, a term her attorneys call disproportionate for alleged nonviolent offenses.
The corporate press vs. Tina Peters’ defense
The corporate press and Wikipedia have portrayed Peters as a conspiracy theorist linked to figures like Mike Lindell, alleging that she orchestrated a security breach to undermine election integrity.
Wikipedia’s entry on Peters claims she “allowed unauthorized access” to voting systems, a narrative echoed by outlets like CNN and the New York Times.
In contrast, her appeal brief argues that she acted lawfully to fulfill her duty under federal law. Her attorneys emphasize that Peters first sought qualified government experts, only turning to Hayes when they declined.
The brief also refutes claims of a security breach, noting that prosecutors admitted in court that Peters’ actions caused no actual harm, and that the data preservation was consistent with legal requirements.
What Peters did – explained simply
Tina Peters, as Mesa County’s election official, was responsible for keeping election records safe. Federal law says she had to keep 2020 election data for 22 months. Thus, when she learned a software update would erase this data, she hired Conan Hayes, an IT expert, to watch the update and make a backup of the data.
She let him into her office to do this, which as the official in charge she was allowed to do. The prosecution said she lied about Hayes being her employee, yet their own witnesses admitted Peters had the power to decide who could be there.
Peters didn’t trick anyone, and her actions followed the law to protect election records.
Prosecutors’ admissions of Peters’ innocence
The prosecution’s case hinges on Peters allegedly deceiving officials to allow Hayes access, but their own evidence contradicts this.
The appeal brief highlights that Underwood, Casias and Romero – the subjects of the felony counts – either confirmed Peters’ authority or failed to show that she influenced their decisions through deceit.
The indictment’s own acknowledgment that clerks were indeed advised to back up data further supports Peters’ actions as lawful.
Her attorneys argue that the prosecution’s failure to prove criminal intent, coupled with their own witnesses’ testimony, amounts to an admission that Peters did not commit the crimes charged.
Trump’s fiery stand for a fallen patriot
Enter President Trump, the indomitable force who has made liberating political prisoners like Peters a cornerstone of his second-term agenda, wielding the full might of the executive branch against the deep state’s election-fraud enablers.
On Aug. 21, Trump unleashed a blistering Truth Social missive that cut through the fog of leftist rhetoric like a red-hot branding iron: “FREE TINA PETERS, a brave and innocent Patriot who has been tortured by Crooked Colorado politicians, including the big Mail-In Ballot supporting the governor of the State. Let Tina Peters out of jail, RIGHT NOW. She did nothing wrong, except catching the Democrats cheat in the Election. She is an old woman, and very sick. If she is not released, I am going to take harsh measures!!!”
This wasn’t mere rhetoric from the man who exposed the 2020 “steal” and reclaimed the White House. It’s a battle cry, echoing his earlier May directive to the Department of Justice to “take all necessary action” to spring Peters from what he called a “Communist persecution” dungeon.
Here are her appeals:
With Peters having just turned 70 this month and her open letter to Trump pleading for deliverance as a Gold Star mom stripped of her dignity, the president’s vow signals the storm to come: Federal habeas challenges, DOJ interventions and perhaps even the thunder of executive clemency if Colorado’s corrupt overlords – led by the sneering Jena Griswold – refuse to yield.
Trump, who knows the sting of lawfare all too well, isn’t just amplifying Peters’ cry; he’s weaponizing it, turning her plight into a rallying fire for every American weary of the two-tiered justice system where election truthers rot while the real crooks walk free.
As the Colorado sun sets over Mesa County, Tina Peters sits in a cell, her fate hanging in the balance.
A woman who courageously stood for transparency – but branded a criminal by a corrupt system.
While prosecutors’ own words betray their case, and Trump’s unyielding voice shakes the prison gates, the question remains: Will the courts now see through the fog of accusations?
Or will Peters, like so many patriots before her, pay a terrible price for daring to challenge a broken system?
The appeal moves forward, but time is running out.
For Tina Peters, it’s not just about her freedom. It’s about the truth, and whether that still matters in America today.
