Tina Peters hints at appeal in aftermath of election security conviction

By / / Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice

Mere hours after being convicted Monday on seven counts related to the breach of the Mesa County election system, former County Clerk Tina Peters seemed to hint at a future appeal.

“I will continue to fight until the truth is revealed that was not allowed to be brought during this trial,” Peters wrote on Twitter/X.

Earlier Monday, after four hours of jury deliberations, Peters was convicted by a jury on three felony counts of attempting to influence a public official, along with felony conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, failure to comply with an order of the secretary of state, official misconduct and violation of duty. She was acquitted on three other counts.

“This is a sad day for our nation and the world,” Peters wrote on X. “But we WILL win in the end. Keep the faith and continue to pray. Galatians 6:9.”

She would face at least six years imprisonment if penalties were assessed to the maximum and served concurrently. She could serve more than 20 years if the terms were served to the maximum and consecutively. Sentencing is set for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 3. Peters is eligible for probation.

Her defense argued Peters’ actions were as a result of her duties as a county clerk, in the role of the county’s elections administrator, a woman some on the political right have termed a hero for her actions. The state’s argument was contrary, describing Peters as a law-breaker and a woman who sacrificed the security of her county’s voting system in search of publicity.

“This community has suffered greatly from the dishonesty, lack of transparency and refusal of Ms. Peters to take accountability,” said District Attorney Daniel P. Rubinstein. “Our system of government is based upon checks and balances, and no single elected official, or even branch of government, is above the law or should be allowed to act without those checks and balances.”

Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, in an interview with the Conservative Daily Podcast, called Peters’ case lawfare and described not knowing Peters at the time the breach occurred, just one of the “lies” he pointed to in the case. Similarly, Roger Stone, who served 40 months in federal prison related to charges of witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to Congress, came to Peters’ defense on X.

“The judge in Tina Peters’ case essentially would not allow her to call any witnesses, enter any evidence or otherwise defend herself,” Stone wrote. “This is exactly what was done to me in [Washington], D.C., a Soviet-style show trial!”

Earlier, as Peters was considering whether to take the witness stand in her defense, she reported via X saying to the judge in the case: “I have reviewed the case, and the purpose of my testimony would be to offer evidence the court has excluded and therefore I decline. I just feel like I’ve been prevented from presenting a defense for myself.”

She had earlier complained on X that she was unable to get a fair trial because of media saturation in Grand Junction.

Peters also decried the unfair nature of the case previously on X: “Why are we being blocked from our defense witnesses after the prosecution has taken six days to give their side, and now we are being pushed to hurry and not even allowing our first witness to validate a meeting she was a participant in!!! Unbelievable????”