Trump’s Tina Peters Pardon Collides With Constitutional Limits

Overview

• Last week, President Trump issued a federal pardon for Colorado clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted for allowing copies of voting‑machine hard drives and sentenced to nine years.
• The U.S. Constitution confines pardons to federal offenses, and Colorado officials have declined to honor the order, leaving Peters in state custody.
• Vox’s Zack Beauchamp cites the episode as proof of “haphazardism,” describing an inept, ad hoc assault on democratic rules that often undermines itself.
• Harvard’s Steve Levitsky contends Trump is eroding democratic norms without consolidating autocratic control, reflecting institutional pushback that still holds.
• Analysts point to conflicting advisers and policies, with economists reported by NBC News warning Trump’s tariff plan would raise consumer costs and inflict near‑term pain.