The NBC affiliate in Denver ran a strange story last week about a group of Republicans in Colorado who came up with an unusual request for the Trump administration. According to the local report, these GOP officials envision a scheme in which the White House agrees to block funding for the Rocky Mountain State until Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, agrees to pardon a convicted criminal named Tina Peters.
It was, to be sure, a bizarre pitch, which will not and cannot happen, but it was a timely reminder that for some on the far-right, Peters’ case remains highly relevant. In fact, The New York Times reported that even Donald Trump’s Justice Department has apparently taken an interest in the matter.
The Justice Department said on Monday that it would review the conviction of the former clerk of Mesa County, Colo., who was found guilty of state charges last summer of tampering with voting machines under her control in a failed attempt to prove that they had been used to rig the 2020 election against President Trump. The decision was the latest example of the Justice Department under Mr. Trump’s control seeking to use its powers to support those who have acted on his behalf and to go after those who have criticized or opposed him.
While the Times’ report hasn’t been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, the developments are not the subject of rumor or scuttlebutt: The article specifically noted that the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division unexpectedly filed a brief in federal court this week, declaring that “reasonable concerns have been raised about various aspects of Ms. Peters’s case.”
At this point, some readers might be thinking, “Her name sounds familiar, but I’m not quite sure who Tina Peters is.” With this in mind, let’s take a stroll down memory lane.
Peters was a county clerk in Colorado who eagerly embraced Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories about his 2020 election defeat, but that’s not all she did. Peters also acted on those lies and conspiracy theories, using someone’s security badge to allow a Mike Lindell associate to access county election equipment.
The apparent point of the endeavor was to leak election machinery data in pursuit of a conspiratorial plot that never existed in reality.
Not surprisingly, Peters was caught and indicted. She pleaded not guilty, but after she and her attorney struggled to present a compelling defense, a Colorado jury convicted Peters, finding her guilty of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
Ahead of sentencing, Peters showed no remorse. A judge ultimately sentenced her to nine years behind bars.
This was a state official, charged with state crimes, by state prosecutors, in a state court, with a state jury, overseen by a state judge. What did the case have to do with federal law enforcement? Literally nothing.
And yet, six weeks into the Trump administration, the Republican-led Justice Department is nevertheless taking an interest in the case
The scrutiny of Peters case, according to Yaakov Roth, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division, was an extension of the president’s executive order related to ending the “weaponization of the federal government.”
But this turns reality on its head. The Justice Department’s unwarranted intervention in this case serves as a timely reminder that, in 2025, federal law enforcement is focused on the interests of Trump’s friends and allies.
The brazenness is so plainly ridiculous, the Republican administration is hardly even trying to keep up appearances, and there’s every reason to believe this will get worse in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
