Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday announced he is commuting the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was facing more than eight years in state prison for allowing unauthorized access to voting machines following the 2020 presidential election.
Polis' decision — which was swiftly condemned by other Colorado Democrats — follows months of pressure from President Trump to release Peters, who has promoted Mr. Trump's false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The president had threatened "harsh measures" if Colorado did not free Peters from prison.
The governor told CBS News Colorado's Karen Morfitt in an interview he decided to commute Peters' sentence because her long prison term was "very unusual for a first-time nonviolent offender." Polis also said he agreed with an appellate court ruling last month that found the judge who sentenced Peters had put too much weight on her beliefs about election fraud, which are a form of protected speech. "She has crazy viewpoints, conspiratorial viewpoints that are not accurate, not true. But that is not a crime in our country or in our state," Polis said, adding that Peters apologized and "I think as a state, we need to move past this."
The framing from the msm regarding Peters, that she was an '2020 election denier' and THAT was the reason she got locked up was made to mislead voters. In fact, Peters was originally sentenced to 9 years in prison for a 2021 election security breach. And while the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld former Mesa County clerk Peters’ convictions, the panel sharply criticized how District Court Judge Matthew Barrett handled her sentencing. Hell, even the Associated Press, noted concerns during January arguments that Barrett had overstepped by allowing Peters’ political views and protected speech to influence her punishment. The appeals judges suggested the sentence exceeded what the crimes warranted and implied Peters was penalized for expressing constitutionally protected beliefs. However, the court ruled it lacked authority to order her release, stating such relief must instead be pursued through a habeas corpus petition in the original sentencing court. And then, surprisingly enough Polis stepped in, commuted her sentence and now Peters (a now 71yo women with no criminal record beforehand) will be out in June.
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