President Trump just dropped a bombshell by pardoning a former Colorado county clerk convicted of election interference, stirring up a hornet’s nest of debate.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, Trump granted a pardon to Tina Peters, who was found guilty in state court back in August 2024 on seven counts, including four felonies tied to tampering with election systems, though the move lacks legal teeth since federal pardons don’t touch state convictions.
Let’s rewind to May 2021, when prosecutors claim Peters swiped a county employee’s security badge to help a man access voting systems, allegedly supporting baseless claims about the 2020 election pushed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Fast forward to August 2024, and Peters was convicted on those serious charges, landing her a hefty nine-year prison sentence.
Reports from her legal team paint a grim picture, claiming she’s faced numerous attacks behind bars, a detail that’s tugged at heartstrings on the right.
Trump, never one to shy away from a fight, has been hammering Colorado Governor Jared Polis for months to release Peters, even hinting at severe consequences if the state didn’t comply.
Just last month, in November 2025, the Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons fired off a letter to Colorado’s Department of Corrections, requesting Peters be moved to federal custody.
That request? Flatly denied, leaving the administration empty-handed and conservatives fuming over what they see as state overreach.
Earlier this month, Trump doubled down, pointing out Peters’ status as a cancer survivor and demanding her release with a blunt online cry of “FREE TINA!” as posted on Truth Social.
Here’s the rub: presidents can’t overturn state convictions, a fact that’s got Colorado officials like Attorney General Phil Weiser standing firm against Trump’s gesture.
“This president doesn’t respect the rule of law, but he doesn’t have authority to undermine how we operate our judicial system here in Colorado,” Weiser said during an appearance on 9News’s “Next with Kyle Clark.”
Well, that’s a spicy take, but let’s unpack it—while state sovereignty is a cornerstone of our system, many conservatives argue this pardon symbolizes a stand against what they view as politically motivated prosecutions.
Trump’s own words on Truth Social frame Peters as a martyr, stating, “Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections.”
Critics might scoff, but for many on the right, this resonates as a battle cry against a system they believe targets those questioning progressive election narratives, even if the legal reality remains unchanged.
So where does this leave us? Peters stays locked up, Colorado holds its ground, and Trump’s pardon stands as a powerful, if symbolic, jab at a judicial process many of his supporters distrust. The clash between federal intent and state authority isn’t just a legal footnote—it’s a vivid reminder of the deep divides over justice and electoral integrity that continue to shape our national conversation.
