President Donald Trump in November made a public plea for the release of Tina Peters, the former County Clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence after being convicted in a Colorado state court on seven charges — four of which were felonies — relating to unauthorized access to election machines during the 2020 presidential election.
Note: The Republican prosecutor who put Peters away, Dan Rubinstein, has asked Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis to “keep her in state custody.” (Trump has requested that Peters be transferred to federal custody while she appeals her case at the state level, which Rubinstein has called an attempt “to bypass our judicial system.”)
On Tuesday, Polis addressed a case similar to that of Peters, in which former State Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, who was sentenced to probation and community service after being convicted of four felonies including Attempt to Influence a Public Official, isn’t going to prison.
Polis wrote of Lewis: “It is not lost on me that she was convicted of the exact same felony charge as Tina Peters — attempting to influence a public official — and yet Tina Peters, as a non-violent first time offender got a nine year sentence. 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, which is why I have extended the deadline for clemency applications until April 3rd. I will be making decisions on these cases throughout the remainder of my governorship.”
THIS IS INSANE
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)
(@AdamKinzinger) March 4, 2026
Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a vocal critic of President Trump, replied in call caps: “THIS IS INSANE.” He added: “Watching @jaredpolis do this bowing to pressure and obsession of Trump is: DISGUSTING I thought better of polis”.
Watching @jaredpolis do this bowing to pressure and obsession of Trump is:
DISGUSTING
I thought better of polis https://t.co/6bTcxAjJcn
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)
Another former Republican turned Democrat, Joshua Reed Eakle, also objected to Polis’s post by writing: “I’ve been a supporter of you for a decade. Would’ve supported you for POTUS. Do not pardon Tina Peters. This would send a terrible signal before an election where Republicans are absolutely going to engage in more fraud and voter suppression. Do not do it.”
Colorado talk show host Ross Kaminsky of WKOA, who says he neither a Democrat nor a Republican, replied: “There’s a reasonable argument that Peters’ sentence was a little too harsh but it’s wrong to suggest that these cases are very similar. Peters attacked our elections. Jaquez Lewis was a bad boss who then lied to try to save herself but her actions had no impact on the perception of the fairness of our elections or government. Peters’ crime was much worse and had victims (i.e. voters). Jaquez Lewis’ crime is not in the same league. So, while you might commute Peters’ sentence, you’re making a significant legal and ethical mistake by talking about these two women’s crimes as if they’re basically the same. And you’re giving aid and comfort to the enemy. (I don’t mean the enemy of your party because I’m not a Democrat, but to the enemies of rationality and the rule of law.)”