Introduction to the Trump Pardon
Just in time for the holidays, President Trump has issued another of his dubious pardons. Or rather, make that a “pardon.” This one comes on behalf of a former Colorado elections official serving a nine-year sentence for election fraud.
The Case of Tina Peters
“Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure our elections were fair and honest,” Trump said in a typically gaseous, dissembling post on social media. “Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections,” the president went on. “Today I am granting Tina a full pardon for her attempts to expose voter fraud in the rigged 2020 Presidential Election.” Actually, Peters’ crime was conspiring to let an unauthorized person access voting equipment as part of a nutty scheme to “prove” the November 2020 balloting was bogus, then lying and covering up her illegal actions.
Limitations of Trump’s Pardon Power
And she’s not likely to leave jail anytime soon. That’s because Trump has precisely zero say over Peters’ fate, given the former Mesa County elections chief was convicted on state charges. The president’s pardon power — which Trump has twisted to a snapping point — extends only to federal cases. If we’re going to play make-believe, then perhaps Foo-Foo the Snoo can personally escort Peters from prison and crown her Queen of the Rockies.
Potential Consequences of Trump’s Actions
That’s not to suggest, however, that Trump’s empty gesture was harmless. Some extremists, ever ready to do Trump’s malevolent bidding, have taken up Peters’ cause, using the same belligerent language that foreshadowed the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In fact, threats have come from some of the very same thugs whom Trump pardoned in one of the first shameless acts of his presidency. “WE THE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO BREAK TINA PETERS OUT OF PRISON IN 45 DAYS,” Jake Lang, a rioter who was charged with attacking police with an aluminum baseball bat, said on social media.
Previous Interventions on Peters’ Behalf
Trump’s pretend pardon is not the first intervention on Peters’ behalf. In March, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to free her from prison, saying there were “reasonable concerns” about the length of Peters’ sentence. The judge declined. In November, the administration wrote the Colorado Department of Corrections and asked that Peters be transferred to federal custody, which would presumably allow for her release. No go. Earlier this month, apparently looking to up the pressure, the Justice Department announced an investigation of the state’s prison system.
Reaction from Colorado’s Governor
Like any child, when Trump doesn’t get his way he calls people names. On Monday, he set his sights on Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis — “a weak and pathetic man” — for refusing to spring Peters from state prison. “The criminals from Venezuela took over sections of Colorado,” Trump said, “and he was afraid to do anything, but he puts Tina in jail for nine years because she caught people cheating.” The only true part of that statement is that Colorado does, in fact, exist.
The Reality of Peters’ Case
While Trump portrays Peters as a martyr, she is nothing of the sort. As Polis noted in response to Trump’s “pardon,” she was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and convicted by a jury of her peers — a jury, it should be noted, that was drawn from the citizenry of Mesa County. The place is no liberal playpen. Voters in the rugged enclave on Colorado’s Western Slope backed Trump all three times he ran for president, by margins approaching 2-to-1. If Peters’ sentence seems harsh — which it does — hear what the judge had to say. Peters was motivated not by principle or a search for the truth but rather, he suggested, vanity and personal aggrandizement.
Conclusion
Peters remains unrepentant. In petitioning Trump for a pardon, her attorney submitted nine pages of cockamamie claims, asserting that Peters was the victim of a conspiracy involving, among others, voting-machine vendors, Colorado’s secretary of state and the Venezuelan government. To her credit, Peters has rejected calls for violence to set her free. Perhaps the parole board will take note of those sentiments when the 70-year-old Peters becomes eligible for conditional release in January 2029, a date that just happens to coincide with the end of Trump’s term. Which seems fitting. Keep Peters locked up until then, serving as an example and deterrent to others who might consider emulating her by vandalizing the truth and attacking our democracy.
FAQs
- What is the nature of Trump’s pardon for Tina Peters?
- Trump’s pardon for Tina Peters is considered "phony" because it does not actually have the power to release her from prison, given that her conviction was on state charges, which are not within the president’s pardon power.
- What were Tina Peters’ crimes?
- Tina Peters was convicted of conspiring to let an unauthorized person access voting equipment and lying about her actions, as part of a scheme to "prove" voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election.
- How have some individuals responded to Trump’s pardon announcement?
- Some extremists have taken up Peters’ cause, using belligerent language and even threatening violence to break her out of prison, echoing the rhetoric that preceded the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
- What is the significance of Peters’ case and Trump’s intervention?
- Peters’ case and Trump’s intervention highlight the ongoing controversy and polarization surrounding election integrity and the use of presidential pardon power, with significant implications for democracy and the rule of law.
