Recommendations of the Editorial team
Donald Trump wants to bring another criminal back to the streets. On Thursday morning, the US President called for Tina Peters’ release-a convicted criminal who currently deals with a nine-year prison sentence for her attempts to present the election in 2020 as manipulated. Trump threatened “hard measures” if the state of Colorado does not fulfill its demand.
Trump’s claim and Peters’ conviction
“Free Tina Peters, a courageous and innocent patriot who is tortured by the corrupt politicians in Colorado, including the large postal voter supporter, the governor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Let Tina Peters free now. She didn’t do anything wrong, except for the Democrats to catch the election fraud.”
“She is an old and very sick woman,” added the president. “If it is not released, I will take hard measures !!!”
Peters, a former administrative employee in the Mesa County, Colorado, was guilty of seven charges last year. She had gained unauthorized persons access to election machines to support a baseless conspiracy theory, according to which the election in 2020 was manipulated against Trump. As early as 2022, she was arrested after trying to kick a police officer who wanted to deliver a search order.
Reactions from Colorado
Colorado’s Foreign Minister Jena Griswold reacted with sharp criticism. “Donald Trump and Tina Peters are defending criminals who put their greed for power over the well -being of the American people,” she wrote in a statement. “Trump’s weak attempts to put pressure on the judiciary to rewrite the story are embarrassment. While he is digging deeper and deeper to get a criminals condemned by a jury, I will continue to defend the law and our free and fair elections.”
Griswold also participated in the ultimately failed initiative to delete Trump’s names of the ballot boxes in Colorado, with the reference to the 14th constitutional additive, which excludes insurgents of offices. She referred to Trump’s role in the attack on the US capitol on January 6, 2021. The conservatively dominated Supreme Court decided in favor of Trumps and significantly weakened the 14th additional article.
Threats and political maneuvers
Rolling Stone reported last year that the threats against Griswold increased by 600 percent after the lawsuit against Trump. She even needed additional security measures when she gave birth to her child later a year.
Trump’s latest demand for Peters’ release is part of a series of measures with which he tries to move democracy in his favor. On Monday, he announced an unconstitutional plan to abolish postal voting nationwide. On Wednesday, he also celebrated the party revival of constituencies in Texas, which secured additional seats in the House of Representatives to the Republicans. “Great victory for the great state of Texas !!!”, he wrote.
However, Trump’s concern for crime does not apply to his own supporters. One of his first official acts was the pardon of the capitals, including those who had attacked police officers. For Trump, like Peters, they are “brave and innocent patriots”. He does not consider crimes in his name as a crime, but as a proof of loyalty he is willing to threaten pressure and retaliation.