TINA PETERS, an election-integrity activist, has been released from prison after Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted her nine-year sentence last month. The former prisoner walked out of a maximum-security facility on Monday, having served since October 2024.
“It’s a miracle, it really is,” Peters told podcaster Steve Bannon on Monday. She noted that Governor Polis pardoned 35 individuals and granted clemency to nine, including herself. The Colorado Democratic Party criticized the decision, with some members calling for Polis’s impeachment.
Throughout much of President Donald Trump’s second term, federal authorities pressured Colorado officials to release Peters. By August 2024, Trump had threatened “harsh measures” if they did not comply. In December, he pardoned her, but that action was insufficient to secure her freedom as she remained convicted on state charges.
The Justice Department also attempted to transfer Peters into federal custody without success. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold labeled Trump’s efforts an assault “on our democracy.” Few signs indicated Peters would be released early until a pivotal court decision in April played the deciding role.
Peters was incarcerated after a jury convicted her of attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and official misconduct. Authorities stated she copied election-related data and images that were later made public.
Like many election-integrity activists at the time, Peters believed voting machines manipulated votes in the 2020 general election to favor Joe Biden. In an August 2024 interview with TNA, weeks before her imprisonment, she claimed evidence of collusion between election-machine maker Dominion, Colorado’s secretary of state, and even foreign entities.
Peters’ nine-year sentence was unprecedented for election-related crimes. In April, the Colorado Court of Appeals ordered a re-sentencing after upholding her conviction but questioning the “fairness” of the penalty. Just before jurors deliberated in her trial, the judge described Peters as a “charlatan” who peddled “snake oil.” The appellate court deemed this remark a “First Amendment problem” that “fundamentally calls into question the fairness of the sentence,” noting:
“The trial court’s comments about Peters’ belief in the existence of 2020 election fraud went beyond relevant considerations for her sentencing. Her offense was not her belief, however misguided the trial court deemed it to be, in the existence of such election fraud; it was her deceitful actions in her attempt to gather evidence of such fraud.”
Polis cited the appeals court opinion as his reason for commuting Peters’ sentence. “It was very clear she committed these criminal acts, but the fact that she holds certain beliefs should not impact the sentencing,” he stated.
While incarcerated, Peters’ advocates expressed concerns she might die before completing her term. Her attorney reported multiple assaults in prison, and in a mid-May statement, Peters described facing death threats. She also mentioned this during her conversation with Bannon: “I was in with women who had done horrendous crimes.”
Now focused on both election reform and prison reform, Peters has vowed to work through legal channels to address systemic issues she observed. In May, she criticized the Colorado prison system for serving unhealthy food that contributes to addiction problems, particularly to Suboxone—a prescription drug used to treat opioid addiction. The main ingredient in Suboxone is buprenorphine, an opioid known to cause addiction.
“MY experiences have given me a perspective that I plan to share with others to improve Colorado’s corrections system,” she said. Regarding election integrity, Peters remains committed to reform but emphasized: “I know that the Democrats are going to cheat.” She expressed disappointment that election reforms have not been implemented, stating: “No one is really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for, and that was exposing the election machines that allowed the votes to be flipped.”
Hours after her release, Peters thanked Trump for bringing attention to her situation. “I am grateful to Trump for everything he did to bring attention to my unjust situation,” she said on Monday, adding that she would spend weeks “regaining” her health. She noted developing digestive problems and skin growths due to the prison food’s quality: “I feel like I’ve aged about 10 years.”
Peters also indicated she will return to the path that led to her incarceration: “Even though Governor Polis reduced my sentence from nine years to four and a half years, I still have a fight to clear my name and bring out the truth of why they came after me the way they did.”
