Colorado governor lays out condition for granting clemency to pro-Trump clerk under pressure from president

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signaled he may be willing to grant clemency to a pro-Trump election worker who was thrown in jail for a 2020 scheme attempting to find proof of election fraud.

President Donald Trump has been pressuring Polis to release Tina Peters, 70, since he returned to office last year. Polis acknowledged that Peters' sentence was "harsh," given that she had no prior criminal record.

Polis admitted on social media this week that Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison while a former state lawmaker convicted of the same crime was sentenced only to probation and community service.

"Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law. This is the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities," Polis wrote on X.

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The Democratic governor said earlier this week that it would impact his decision if Peters expressed remorse for her actions in 2020, which she so far has not.

"What she would have to show in any successful clemency application would be appropriate contrition, apology. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for," he told KUSA-TV.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office helped prosecute Peters, pushed back on Polis' comments and emphasized that Peters has not demonstrated any remorse for her actions.

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"Clemency should be based on remorse, rehabilitation, and extenuating circumstances — not on political influence, favor, or retribution," Weiser, a Democrat who is running to succeed the term-limited Polis, said.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who is also hoping to replace Polis as governor, also said Peters shouldn't be pardoned or have her sentence commuted.

"Donald Trump may be seeking revenge on Colorado, but surrendering to his political pressure will not make our state stronger or safer," the Democrat said.

Trump has posted on social media about Peters' case multiple times, describing her as a "patriot."

"Instead of protecting Americans and their Tax Dollars, Democrats chose instead to prosecute anyone they can find that wanted Safe and Secure Elections," Trump posted last year. "Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.