(Washington) US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would pardon a local Colorado official convicted of embezzlement during the 2020 presidential election.
Published at
“Today, I grant Tina (Peters) a full pardon for her attempts to expose voter fraud in the rigged 2020 presidential election! “wrote Mr. Trump on his Truth Social network.
Tina Peters, a Mesa County elected official in charge of various administrative tasks, including election supervision, was sentenced in October 2024 to nine years in prison for letting a Donald Trump supporter access confidential data from the 2020 presidential vote.
This supporter of Mr. Trump sought to prove the existence of fraud during the presidential election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. A victory that the current president refuses to recognize to this day, although the validity of the 2020 election has been confirmed by several court decisions.
“The Democrats were relentless in their targeting of Tina Peters, a patriot who simply wanted to ensure that our elections were fair and honest,” Donald Trump justified in his message.
It is unlikely, however, that a presidential pardon would apply to Tina Peters because she was convicted under Colorado law and not federal law.
“Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of (Colorado) state crimes. Trump has no constitutional authority to pardon her,” Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis said on social media.
“One of the most fundamental principles of our Constitution is that states have independent sovereignty and manage their own criminal justice systems without interference from the federal government,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in another statement.
“The idea that a president can pardon a person tried and convicted in a state court has no precedent in American law,” added the magistrate.
