“I don’t belong here. I haven’t broken any laws,” says Tina, who continues to do internet shows from Mesa County Jail. (Screenshot: Rumble.com)
If you need some good news at a time when Americans have embraced racism, misogyny, vindictiveness, sexual abuse, large-scale fraud, corruption and grift as acceptable behaviors in their incoming commander-in-chief, here’s it is:
On November 25, 2024, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) voted to resume investigating Tina Peters (pdf) for multiple ethics charges filed against her while she was County Clerk, and not let her off the hook as a result of committing even worse crimes that landed her in prison.
In its ruling (pdf), the IEC announced it will resume investigating three ethics complaints filed against Tina, one in 2021 and two in 2022, that they had put on hold pending the outcome of her criminal trial, which concluded in August, 2024 with her being found guilty of four felonies and three misdemeanors related to an election equipment tampering scheme. Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced Tina to 9 years in prison.
It would have been easy for the IEC to just drop the ethics complaints against Tina after that, but instead they apparently thought it was too high profile of a case and her impunity and extreme violations of ethics laws were too significant to dismiss.
Tina Peters, shown here with her friend, Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel (R)
The August, 2021 complaint is about Peters accepting thousands of dollars worth of travel, services, security details and favors from My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell for a cyber symposium she attended in South Dakota. The complaint from January, 2022 was about Peters’ establishing a criminal legal defense fund and operating it in a way that violated Colorado ethics guidance. The May, 2022 complaint cited Mike Lindell’s public statement that he had given Tina up to $800,000 towards her legal defense while she was still in office. That complaint alleged that Tina violated the public trust as county clerk “by attempting to realize personal financial gain through her public office.”
Colorado’s ethics law, Article XXIX of the state Constitution, prohibits elected officials from accepting any gift valued at over $50 $65.
Tina did that in spades while she was Clerk. Even now, she continues to solicit and accept financial donations for her personal gain from prison, profiting from her crimes and election denialism.
If the IEC finds Tina guilty of violating Colorado ethics laws, she could potentially be fined over $1.6 million.
My fear is trump will pardon Peters along with all the violent white supremacist insurrectionists in jail or in trial. Next he will hire her in the WH as head of “election integrity.” Or make her in charge of some federal job that oversees Colorado too, or even an Ambassador to a depot country. We shall see. Rule of law and election integrity are both just a joke to trump.
Trump can’t pardon Peters. She was tried on state crimes. Only Polis or a sitting CO governor could pardon her.
Thank you for that helpful information!!
I’m worried trump will pardon Peters, and think it’s likely, when he gets all the insurrectionists & white supremacists out of jail. The way it’s going, then his next step will be to make Peters head of an agency that governs Colorado too or an Ambassador, or a special assistant to him in the WH on “election integrity.”
Trump can’t pardon people for state crimes, no matter how loyal they are to him.
Take some comfort in that.
This is to all of you who think I “worship” Trump.
I really don’t and I am aware of his many shortcomings.
The mistake you have all made is demonizing him while applauding Biden, et al.
While Trump was in office there was a concerted effort by the media, the democrats and the corrupt intelligence agencies to destroy him.
People like me were aware of this and instead of hating him, the way you wanted us to, we saw how utterly unfairly he was being treated and we rallied around him.
For eight years you have tried to take him down and have been unsuccessful.
I would say your actions and words played a large role in his victory.
And, from what I read here, you are going to keep it up.
Trump is not a fascist and I doubt you even know what that really means, but this time around he has a team of very smart people around him who aren’t going to allow the kind of bullsh*t to occur as happened last time around.
Another big mistake you are making is demonizing
the people who support Trump…those “ignorant, misogynistic, bigoted, corrupt, backward Republicans.” This has been going on so long, we’re pretty much immune.
It might make you feel good at the moment, but I think it only serves to harden people against you.
Sorry, but we’re just tired of ignorant, mysogynistic, bigoted, corrupt backward Republicans trying to tak away the rights of fellow American citizens. If you don’t want to be called thiose things, stop exemplifying them. It’s really quite simple.
To what rights are you refering and what are republicans doing to take them away?
Working to take away gay marriage.
Stripping away bodily autonomy from women.
Restricting voting for minorities
Censoring teachers from teaching history and facts
The right to no-fault divorce
Read Project 2025 for more information. Of course, you’ve been told that has nothing to do with anything, and you believed them so you’ll ignore this, but one of Trump’s Cabinet picks wrote a big chunk of Project 2025 so that’s ringing rather hollow.
It’s going to happen, harry. And you are helping. People are going to die, and you’re cheering for their killers. This is why we think the way we do about Trump supporters.
I am not aware that Republicans are working to take away gay marriage. In fact, it was a republican attorney who argued *for* gay marriage at the Supreme Court while both Obama and Biden spoke out against it.
Is “bodily autonomy” a euphemism for abortion? Again there isn’t anything the Republicans as a whole are doing to strip that away. Questions about abortion have been referred back to the states.
Republicans have done nothing to restrict voting rights for minorities.
No one is preventing teachers from teaching history, although there has been a lot if pushback to teaching critical race theory to elementary school children.
I think the right to no fault divorce lies with the state.
I actually know a lot about Russ Voight from Heritage. Nothing he is advocating has been enshrined in law. And if there is an effort to do so, there will be vigorous debate in the Congress…which is kinda how this is all supposed to work.
Not sure where
you you get the part about people being killed, but your post does give me some insight into why you are so upset.
As I said, you are unaware of the plan. Just a dupe like so many others.
As far as people dying, what do you think is going to happen in Ukraine once Trump is in office and cuts all support? Dead people.
Women in this country are already dying because their doctors are afraid to treat them for complications in their pregnancies due to the abortion bans Republicans have enacted.
No one is teaching critical race theory to elementary children. It’s a graduate level course in law school. You’ve been lied to, and you swallowed it.
No fault divorce is one of thew things Project 2025 will target. You don’t know about this because you are in an information bubble that doesn’t let things like this in. They want to keep you angry and stupid, and you’re falling for it.
“Nothing has been enshrined”. Yet. How much debate do you think there will be with the Trump cult having control of both Houses and the Supreme Court?
History is repeating itself, harry. You aren’t on the side that won last tiume.
This is from Politifact…not a right wing site
“As it is outlined in a 900-page document titled “Mandate for Leadership,” Project 2025 includes no proposal to eliminate same-sex marriage.”
Although there seems to be some preference for raising children by heterosexual couples.
Again, just an opinion and not a law. You seem to think Republicans are clones who walk in lockstep. Maybe it is you who is the dupe.
As far as Ukraine…it was Biden who walked both Ukraine and Russia into the current conflict.
It will be interesting to see if Trump, who doesn’t want war will be able to walk them/us out.
What do you think:
“family policies and programs under President Biden’s [Health and Human Services] are fraught with agenda items focusing on ‘LGBTQ+ equity,’ subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage. These policies should be repealed and replaced by policies that support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families.”
means? Do you really think a gay couple is part of their definition of a stable, married, nuclear family? Do you think a gay couple should be reassured that their legal status is safe after reading that?
And no, it’s not a law, but Trump isn’t president yet either. Things will change.
The only reason Russia invaded Ukraine during Biden’s administration is because Trump was giving him what he wanted without invading. That will continue once Trump is in the Oval Office again. What do you suppose Trump and Putin talked about in that private meeting that no White House staff were allowed into? Or did your sources ever even mention it? I’m betting not.
Like I said, Dupe.
Oh dear!
Trump was giving Russia what it wanted?
I thought it was Obama who did nothing when Russia took over Crimea and Biden said it would be OK if Russia did just a little invasion but what do I know…I’m just a dupe.
Or could you still be under the throes of believing that Trump collided with Russia?
All I can say about the gay issue is that Trump has nominated a married gay man as Sec of Treasury and that many prominent gay men and women support him.
But they’re probably dupes as well and they’ll get in line as soon as he takes office.
You obviously never read the Mueller report. No surprise here.
Keep drinking the Kool-Aid, harry. You’re a perfect example of the kind of person Trump wants – ignorant, gullible and utterly convinced he’s right. You’re a poster child for the Dunning-Krueger effect. Have a nice night.
The thread has run out of room for comments so I’ll just put this here. I’m pretty sure you haven’t read the Mueller report, but since Mueller spent over a year and millions of taxpayer dollars in the investigation, it is fair to assume there wasn’t anything actionable because if there were, he would have recommended prosecution. If I’m not mistaken, Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi took this up in a House impeachment before the report came out and got nowhere. Schiff continues to insist there is ample evidence… “Russian collusion” will be on his grave stone.
It’s common to spin “meetings” where no content is disclosed and reports by anonymous sources. (secret meetings at the White house). You seem to think that Putin somehow caused Clinton to lose.That apparently animates you and you are entitled to the opinion.
But you should perhaps ask yourself if it *should* be verboten to engage with the Russians and if so, why? This hasn’t worked out so well in the current conflict and maybe if Biden/Blinken/Sullivan had sat down with Putin a million people wouldn’t have died. This holds true for almost any modern war that has taken place. It would be good to think that the killing of civilians and soldiers could be avoided if the proper wisdom and negotiating skills were employed.
I’m not sure what you get from insulting me when you know that what you are saying is untrue… “ignorant, gullible and… a poster child for the Dunning-Krueger effect”. To end your “argument” with invective shows weakness.
You just proved you never read the Mueller Report, because it stated quite clearly that it was not exonerating him, but that there was a standing DOJ policy that they do not prosecute sitting presidents. Thats quite a face-plant there.
I did mis-speak about the meeting. It wasn’t with Putin, it was with the Russian Ambassador. No White House staff were allowed in the meeting. No aides, no translators, no security. No records of what was discussed. Do thirty seconds of research and tell me if its normal for a President to have a meeting like that. What would you say if Biden had a meeting with the representative of a foreign adversary with no staff or security? No record of what was said. Would you take his word that everything was fine?
As for insulting you, it’s all you deserve. You are uninformed, but believe otherwise. That is exactly what the Dunning-Kruger effect is.
Again, not sure this will show up as a response to your last comment. I didn’t say that Mueller exonerated him. No special counsel has that power. What they do is recommend prosecution or not…just as Hurd said he didn’t recommend prosecution because ‘well-meaning old man’ Biden wouldn’t do well…quite the standard.
What you assess as the Dunning-Kruger effect is someone who can defend what he says, but is someone who doesn’t kowtow to your view and so is obviously wrong. I think there must be a name for that.
Maybe partisan hack will suffice.
No, you said “it is fair to assume there wasn’t anything actionable because if there were, he would have recommended prosecution.” Not finding anything actionable is exoneration, and the report specifically said it was not doing that. Again, the report said they didn’t proceed with prosecution because of the standing policy not to prosecute sitting presidents, not because there was nothing they could have prosecuted. I have read the report. You obviously haven’t, since you’re just regurgitating right-wing talking points.
If you call what you’re doing as defending a side, you’re doing it very badly. The fact that you are so confident you are right, despite being so wrong about the Mueller Report is a classic example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The less you know, the more you overestimate how much you know. You continue to prove my point.
So, there was nothing actionable because of OLC recommendations…which isn’t actually a law. It’s true that I didn’t highlight the distinction. I’m sure it was mentioned on my “right wing” media but I was, at the time, hearing about things like Glenn Simpson and Fusion GPS. It’s been a fire hose of info since 2016 and believe it or not, I listen to everything, as I’m sure you know (but won’t admit).
It actually all boils down to the same thing. Mueller held that if the congress saw fit to prosecute the president, they were free to do so, using his report as evidence…which they did and Trump was not convicted. You, I’m sure, will say that is because of the Republicans in the Senate…which may also be the case, but those are the breaks. Just like when Comey said he wouldn’t recommended that Clinton be charged with anything.
So much of what happens in Washington is politics. It’s about who is in power and who can get a majority to side with what they want to do. Often it has little to do with the law, as written. But sometimes we can be surprised…which is always interesting.
I am tired of having this conversation because you are so deliberately unpleasant. Instead of saying that I’m in error, you say I’m stupid and deluded…which gets me back to my original post.
Have fun with the other people who post on this blog. I’m sure they’ll be up to your standards.
Just because you blanket accuse 70+ million people of something (or like 5 idiotic things), doesn’t make it true. It just makes you ignorant.
You can bet the ranch I’ll keep yelling from the mountain tops to remind people that less than 50% voted for a sexual predator; a criminal; a liar; a fascist and lastly, a school yard bully. I was not a huge Biden or Harris fan, but they had light years more integrity than Trump. From my perspective as a woman, Trump and company want women to keep quiet and know their place. Now is NOT the time for women to cower. We must speak out and support each other.
Tina Peters is a typical Mesa County Republican, corrupt, criminally oriented and worships the Orange Fool. She has the morals and ethics of an alley cat, with apologies to all the alley cats out there.
Colorado has lost some its political luster. The Colorado politic has become fervently anti-Trump to a ridiculous degree. The popular vote of the US elected Trump in concert with the Electoral College. The Colorado politic must be circumspect and reason that they are the outliner of the prevailing will of the people. The Colorado Supreme Court had to be humiliated and learn that they cannot ban Trump from being listed on Colorado ballots. Trump the “insurrectionist” by declaration only and not through a Constitutional due process as is every citizens right. We are finding out that there was a lot of shenanigans around the 2020 election and J6. Whatever Peters did or did not do comes at the occasion of a lot corruption and misrepresentations that spun out of control. The main issue is that people do not trust the institutions that determine who wins or loses elections. This is why one side sees a criminal while the other sees a martyr.
Tina Peters is not a martyr, in my opinion, but that Barrett called her a charlatan, said he was jailing her because her speech is dangerous, and wouldn’t allow her to present much of her evidence as to why she did what she did is exceptionally troubling.
However, it did give us a very good look at what is behind the curtain of our politics.
Eternal vigilance is our only recourse.
Why she did what she did is irrelevant. The trial was for what she did.
If you shoot someone in self-defense, if the action was justified there will not be charges brought in the first place. In Tina Peter’s case, there were recourses she had to address her concerns that she chose not to follow. Instead, she took actions that were illegal and was charged, tried and convicted for them.
You may not agree with the verdict, but the fact remains that the trial what about what she did, not why she thought she was justified in doing it.
There is such a thing as “state of mind”..
“mens re” or “intent:.
You are wrong that self defense is a slam dunk. That very often has to be decided in court…you surely know this.
As I said, she wasn’t allowed to present her intent and that’s why I don’t agree with the verdict or the sentence.
And all of that was decided outside of court, beforehand, by the prosecuter and the judge. I’d love to see that document.
As far as the judge goes, he’s a reprehensible partisan hack and has a good chance of being reversed.
The law disagrees with you. But I doubt this is the first time.
While we’re at it…let’s talk about Jena Griswold
Shortly before the election it was revealed that the BIOS passwords for the election equipment were published on the SOS
The passwords were published in August. It took her until days before the election to notify the clerks.
There are very strict laws against what she did.
She.has all kind of fancy.excuses for what she did, she even threw her employees under the bus but that doesn’t matter. right? It’s about what she did.
Whataboutism. How predictable.
Oh yes, I’m sure that the prospect of Peters shouldering another million plus fine on top of her ridiculous nine year sentence will help the Trump haters in our midst sleep better, tonight.
I’m wondering if the fact that you, the complainant, are being represented by Jane Feldman, a former IEC commisioner of high position on their board, will raise any ethical eyebrows.
It will be interesting to see how they rule.
When can we expect their decision?
Nine years is hardly ridiculous. She could have received a lot more. She should be grateful it was only nine. I hope after she is released and hauled directly from Mesa County jail to prison, she will no longer be allowed to beg for money on these sleazy nut job platforms. I’ve been told that women’s prisons are every bit as bad as men’s. She might want to learn how not to whine and snivel. As for our sexual predator president elect, it’s good to remember he won reelection by less than 50% of the vote.
Obama got 69,498,516 votes the first time he ran and 65,915,795 the second.
Trump got 49.9% of the popular vote in 2024, weighing in at 77,055,615.
And lets not forget the electoral vote…you know, the one that counts:
Trump 312
Harris 226
OOOPS!
The fact of the matter is, less than 50% of voters put a sexual predator and criminal into office. This sends a terrible message to our kids and the rest of the world. For me personally, it makes sense when you stop to think about how America is rapidly descending in a downward spiral when it comes to education. The United States ranks lower than other countries in education and healthcare. We are ranked 16th in science and 34th in math. We are even worse when it comes to healthcare.
The U.S. ranks last on measures like access to healthcare, equity, and health outcomes. The U.S. also spends more on healthcare with its citizens getting very little in return. Aside from this terrible trend, my greatest concern is project 2025. King Trump aka sexual predator, is going to take care of his wealthy friends first and the rest of us peasants will lose out. For those like myself, who enjoy public lands, there is great concern that the Supreme Court will allow precedent to go by the wayside, and allow our public lands to be sold off to private, wealthy investors. People will wake up when it’s too late.
I can’t read your whole post. I’ve been watching a lot of MSNBC lately and I’m maxed out on leftist talking points.
But I will say, if your party gave a damn about integrity, intelligence, national security and non-creepy behavior, you wouldn’t have run Joe Biden (both times) or Kamala Harris.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m sorry you can’t read. I guess you’ve just made my point. I think the democrats have hard lessons to learn. I was mad as hell that the democratic machine forced Biden on us when there were so many other bright, younger democratic opponents running for President. But to call Biden creepy, non-intelligent and lacking integrity without also admitting Trump is no different, is being a hypocrite of the worst kind. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
I’m so sorry that your allergy to facts and the truth has been triggered, Harry. I do hope it won’t ruin your Thanksgiving. And may the blessings of the fascist dictator that you worship, fall entirely on you and your fellow travellers!
The IEC has to investigate first to find out how much money she accepted illicitly while she was still County Clerk and had ethical obligations to the citizenry under Article XXIX of the state Constitution.
The simp defending the undeniably corrupt Tina Peters is questioning someone else’s ethics?
That hilarious.
What about the complaints against our county commisioners, and attorneys office?
The IEC only agrees to investigate 20% of the complaints that are filed.
Every complaint about Tina that I submitted to the IEC was found to be “non-frivolous” and the IEC decided to investigate them, as were the two complaints by G.J. resident Scott Bielfuss, which resulted in campaign finance violations against Tina and a fine of $15,400, which she is appealing, according to the Secretary of State. Her attorney for the ethics complaints is former CO SOS Scott Gessler, who himself was the subject of an ethics complaint filed against him while in office for using state money to attend a partisan Republican convention in FL. Gessler fought it at a cost to state taxpayers of over $500,000 only to end up losing an appeal to the CO Supreme Court. After all that, Gessler ended up paying his $1,200 ethics fine.
Of course they were considered non-frivolous..that’s why they are going ahead. I will say that even if the complaint is non-frivolous (which is a matter of opinion), that doesn’t insure that the complaint will be heard.
What I am wondering is whether Jane Feldman representing you may have had an influence on whether they took the case and if that will be offered as an objection by the defense. I have no idea what the make-up of this commission is…in fact I’ve never heard of it before.
PS…Did Gessler have to pay back the $500,000? How did fighting an ethics complaint end up costing that much to fight when the fine was only $1200? And how did he get that kind of money out of the treasury? I’ll have to look that one up!
Another desperate, failed attempt at deflection by our resident bootlick.
Seriously, kid…get some dignity.
I submitted the complaint(s) and the IEC accepted them a year before Jane Feldman and Trey Rogers contacted me and offered to help me with them. Complainants are permitted to have attorneys of their choice help them. I’m unaware of any restrictions or limitations on who complainants can have as their attorney(s). Tina’s attorney in her ethics complaints is former CO Republican SOS Scott Gessler, who had an ethics complaint lodged about him while he was in office for inappropriately spending taxpayer money. He lost his fight against that complaint and had to pay a fine.
She’s a waste of oxygen and attention.