Overview

• In a new Truth Social post, the president demanded Peters’ immediate release and warned of unspecified “harsh measures” against Colorado.
• A Mesa County jury in 2024 convicted the former clerk on seven counts, including four felonies tied to an unauthorized breach of election equipment; she was sentenced in October to nine years in prison.
• The Justice Department’s civil division filed a March brief raising concerns about the case, and in May the president directed DOJ to seek her release; a federal magistrate judge recently rejected her bid for bond pending appeal.
• Colorado officials criticized the pressure campaign, with Secretary of State Jena Griswold defending the conviction and Mesa County DA Daniel Rubinstein saying politics did not drive the prosecution.
• Because Peters was convicted on state charges, federal authorities cannot overturn the verdict and the president cannot pardon her, and he did not specify what actions he might take against the state.