Aug 21, 01:09 PM

Trump Threatens Colorado With ‘Harsh Measures’ Over Jailed Clerk Tina Peters

President Donald Trump on 21 Aug. 2025 demanded that Colorado immediately release former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, warning he would take unspecified "harsh measures" against the state if it failed to comply. In a Truth Social message posted shortly after 08:00 a.m. Eastern, Trump called Peters “a brave and innocent Patriot” and urged officials to “let Tina Peters out of jail, RIGHT NOW.” Peters, 68, is serving a nine-year sentence for breaching county voting machines and leaking data after the 2020 election. A Colorado jury last year found her guilty of multiple felonies, including attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and first-degree official misconduct. She is appealing the conviction in federal court. Colorado leaders rejected the president’s demand. Attorney General Philip Weiser said the state “will always stand for the rule of law” and would not be intimidated, while Secretary of State Jena Griswold defended the prosecution as necessary to protect election security. Because Peters was convicted under state law, Trump lacks unilateral authority to pardon her. The White House did not elaborate on what punitive actions the president might deploy. The threat intensifies long-running tensions between federal and state officials over the 2020 election and could test the boundaries of presidential power over state criminal proceedings.