In a controversial move testing constitutional boundaries, President Donald Trump has extended a presidential pardon to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado elections clerk currently serving a nine-year prison sentence. Peters was convicted in 2024 on seven state-level charges, including three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation related to unauthorized access to voting systems during the 2020 presidential election.
The pardon declaration, announced via Trump’s Truth Social platform, immediately triggered strong constitutional challenges from Colorado officials. State Attorney General Phil Weiser asserted that the presidential pardon power, widely understood to apply exclusively to federal crimes, holds no legal precedent for state-level convictions and ‘will not hold up’ under judicial scrutiny.
Trump defended his action by characterizing Peters as ‘a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest’—echoing his longstanding but unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. The case has become a rallying point within election conspiracy circles, with numerous campaigns advocating for Peters’ release.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold condemned the move as ‘an assault not just on our democracy, but on states’ rights and the American constitution.’ Legal experts note this represents another expansion of Trump’s pardon authority since he returned to office in January 2025, following previous controversial pardons for associates including former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The constitutional confrontation highlights tensions between state sovereignty and federal executive power, with Colorado officials emphasizing that states maintain independent authority over their criminal justice systems without federal interference—a principle they argue is fundamental to America’s constitutional framework.