A Democratic Governor Cut a Convicted Election-System Breacher’s Sentence in Half. Hours After Trump Said “FREE TINA!”
On Friday afternoon, May 15, 2026, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed an executive order commuting the nine-year prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters (R) — convicted in August 2024 of four felonies and three misdemeanors for engineering a 2021 breach of her county’s Dominion election equipment. Peters’ conviction stands. Her sentence does not. She walks on parole June 1, 2026.
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump (R) had posted “FREE TINA!” on Truth Social. It was the second time in eleven weeks Trump had publicly demanded Peters’ release. The Colorado conviction is a state-court conviction; the U.S. President has no power to pardon it. The only person in the country who could shorten Peters’ sentence was the Democratic governor of Colorado — and on Friday, that is what he did.
His own Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D-CO) called it “an affront to our democracy.” His own Attorney General Phil Weiser (D-CO) called it “a sad day for Colorado.” His own U.S. senator, Michael Bennet (D-CO), said he “vehemently disagreed.” All 66 Democrats in the Colorado state legislature had signed a letter asking Polis not to commute. The Republican Mesa County district attorney who prosecuted the case — Dan Rubinstein (R)— called the commutation “disturbing and, frankly, irresponsible.”
- 9yearsPeters' original sentence — Judge Matthew Barrett, Oct 3, 2024
- 4y 4.5mcommutedPolis order, May 15, 2026 — parole date June 1, 2026
- 7convictions4 felonies + 3 misdemeanors — jury verdict, Aug 12, 2024
- 66D legislatorsEvery Democrat in the Colorado legislature signed a 'do not commute' letter
- $1,000,000Mesa County costApproximate taxpayer-borne cost to replace breached election equipment
- 2Truth Social postsTrump's 'FREE TINA PETERS!' (Mar 2) and 'FREE TINA!' (May 15)
In May 2021, then-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters used the identity of a former county employee named Gerald Wood to credential a man named Conan Hayes — an associate of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell— into a secure “trusted build” software update of the county’s Dominion election equipment. Hayes copied the hard drive. The drive contained the full BIOS images, configuration files, and passwords for Mesa County’s tabulators.
By August 2021, those passwords and BIOS images were on the internet — and on the stage at Lindell’s “cyber symposium” in Sioux Falls. Mesa County replaced the compromised equipment at an approximate taxpayer cost of $1,000,000. Peters was barred from overseeing the 2022 election. The Colorado Secretary of State referred her case to the Mesa County district attorney.
On March 9, 2022, a Mesa County grand jury indicted Peters on 13 counts of election tampering, official misconduct, identity theft, and conspiracy. She lost a Republican primary to replace herself as clerk later that year. The case went to trial in the summer of 2024.
BIOS images: the firmware-level software that boots Mesa County’s Dominion ImageCast tabulators.
Passwords: the “trusted build” administrator credentials used by Dominion technicians during certified software updates.
Configuration files: the county-specific settings that map ballot styles to precincts.
Where it ended up: on the internet, and on stage at Lindell’s August 2021 “cyber symposium.”
Who paid: Mesa County taxpayers, who replaced the entire compromised tabulation system at a cost the county estimated near $1,000,000.
On August 12, 2024, a Mesa County jury found Peters guilty on seven of ten counts — four felonies and three misdemeanors. The felony counts included attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and identity theft.
On October 3, 2024, District Judge Matthew Barrett of the 21st Judicial District sentenced Peters to a total of nine years: 8 years and 3 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections, plus 6 months in county jail. Her mandatory release date was set for 2033. Her earliest parole eligibility under the sentence was 2028.
“I am convinced you would do it all over again if you could. You are as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen.”
District Judge Matthew Barrett · Mesa County · October 3, 2024 · sentencing remarks
In April 2026, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld Peters’ conviction. The appellate court remanded for resentencing on a narrow sentencing-structure question only — not on guilt, not on the underlying facts. The conviction is final and stands today.Peters remains a convicted felon. Polis’s May 15, 2026 commutation order explicitly states the order “shall not in any way affect the underlying criminal conviction.”
On the morning of Friday, May 15, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “FREE TINA!” The two-word post was the second public demand he had made for Peters’ release in eleven weeks. The first — on March 2, 2026 — was the more explicit version.
Verified Truth Social post · March 2, 2026 · trumpstruth.org archive status 37031
FREE TINA!
Verbatim per Fox News, CPR, NPR, AP, NBC News (May 15, 2026). Specific postId not yet surfaced in public archive.
Trump’s public pressure campaign on Peters has been running for more than a year. In late 2025, the President directed the U.S. Department of Justice to open a “review” of the Peters case. DOJ has no authority to vacate a Colorado state-court conviction, and the announcement of the review produced no legal motion in any Colorado court. Trump has separately called Polis a “sleazebag who should rot in hell.” Friday afternoon, Polis signed the commutation.
On Friday afternoon, May 15, 2026, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO)signed an executive order granting Peters’ clemency application. The full text of the commutation letter was released by the governor’s office that evening and published by KDVR.
“I am writing to inform you that I am granting your application for a commutation… your total sentence, inclusive of time in County Jail and the Department of Corrections, is commuted to 4 years and 4.5 months, and you shall be released on parole effective June 1, 2026.”
Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) · commutation letter to Tina Peters · May 15, 2026
The order does not pardon. It does not vacate the conviction. It does not expunge. Peters is still a four-count felon and three-count misdemeanant. What the order does is shorten her time in custody by roughly two-thirds — from a 2033 maximum release date and a 2028 parole-eligibility date to a parole release date of June 1, 2026. She will have served just over 600 days before walking.
Polis’s public explanation, in remarks accompanying the order:
“You deserve to spend time in prison for these offenses. However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first-time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.”
Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) · accompanying remarks · May 15, 2026
The executive order’s operative legal clause — the language the governor’s office wanted in print — was this:
“This commutation shall not in any way affect the underlying criminal conviction.”
Executive order · Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) · May 15, 2026
Polis is the elected Democratic governor of Colorado. The people who asked him publicly, in writing, not to grant this commutation were almost entirely Democrats — including every Democrat in his own state legislature, his own Secretary of State, his own Attorney General, and his own U.S. senator. The Republican Mesa County prosecutor who tried the case joined them.
Sec. of State Jena Griswold (D-CO): public critic since the case began; called the commutation “an affront to our democracy” in a May 15, 2026 press release; told NBC News no governor should “bow down to retaliation from Donald Trump.”
Attorney General Phil Weiser (D-CO): co-signed a November 2025 letter urging Polis not to commute; called the May 15 decision “a sad day for Colorado.”
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO): said publicly he “vehemently disagreed” with the commutation.
All 66 Democratic Colorado state legislators: signed a March 11, 2026 letter to Polis opposing commutation.
Mesa County DA Dan Rubinstein (R): the original prosecutor; called the commutation “disturbing and, frankly, irresponsible.”
Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick: warned in writing that the commutation signals “you can violate the law, abuse your power, sew chaos, and face no real consequences.”
Griswold’s May 15 press release — issued from the Colorado Secretary of State’s office hours after Polis signed the order — is on the public record:
“This clemency grant to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country. The Governor's actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement, and leave a dark, dangerous imprint on American democracy for years to come.”
Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D-CO) · official press release · May 15, 2026
“No official should bow down to retaliation from Donald Trump.”
Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D-CO) · NBC News · May 15, 2026
“A sad day for Colorado.”
Attorney General Phil Weiser (D-CO) · public statement · May 15, 2026
“Disturbing and, frankly, irresponsible.”
Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein (R) · KJCT 8 · May 16, 2026 · the prosecutor who tried the case
This clemency grant to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country. The Governor’s actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement.
Sec. Griswold’s official statement on Gov. Polis’s clemency grant to Tina Peters is now posted at coloradosos.gov.
Tina Peters walks on June 1 because a Democratic governor of Colorado said so — not because a Republican president did. The conviction stands. The sentence does not.
CNN obtained the full text of Peters’ clemency application to the governor. In the application, Peters — under signature — conceded the central fact of her conviction. It is the closest she has come on the public record to an admission.
“I made mistakes, and for those I am sorry. Five years ago I misled the Secretary of State when allowing a person to gain access to county voting equipment. That was wrong.”
Tina Peters · clemency application to Gov. Jared Polis · obtained by CNN · May 15, 2026
May 2021 — Peters credentials Conan Hayes (a Mike Lindell associate) into a Dominion “trusted build” software update using the identity of former county employee Gerald Wood. Hayes copies the hard drive.
August 2021 — Mesa County’s BIOS images and passwords appear online and on stage at Mike Lindell’s “cyber symposium.”
March 9, 2022 — Mesa County grand jury indicts Peters on 13 counts.
May 2022 — Sec. of State Jena Griswold (D-CO) bars Peters from overseeing the 2022 election.
August 12, 2024 — Jury convicts Peters on 7 of 10 counts — 4 felonies and 3 misdemeanors.
October 3, 2024 — District Judge Matthew Barrett sentences Peters to nine years total.
November 21, 2025 — AG Phil Weiser (D-CO) and DA Dan Rubinstein (R, Mesa County) jointly urge Polis in writing not to commute.
March 2, 2026 — Trump posts “FREE TINA PETERS!” on Truth Social (verified status 116161249541725023).
March 11, 2026 — All 66 Democratic Colorado state legislators sign a letter to Polis opposing commutation.
April 2026 — Colorado Court of Appeals upholds the conviction; remands on a sentencing-structure question only.
May 15, 2026 (Friday morning) — Trump posts “FREE TINA!” on Truth Social.
May 15, 2026 (Friday afternoon) — Polis signs the commutation order. Sentence reduced to 4 years and 4.5 months.
June 1, 2026 — Peters scheduled for release on parole. Conviction stands.
Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants the President the power to pardon “Offenses against the United States.” Tina Peters was tried, convicted, and sentenced in Colorado state court, on charges brought under Colorado state law, by a Mesa County jury. Nothing about her case is “an offense against the United States.”
That is why the federal “review” the President directed the U.S. Department of Justice to open in late 2025 has produced no legal effect on her case: DOJ has no power to vacate a state-court conviction, no party to remove, and no jurisdictional hook to file in. Only one person in the country had the legal authority to free Tina Peters from her Colorado prison sentence early. That person is the Democratic governor of Colorado. On Friday, May 15, 2026, hours after the President of the United States posted “FREE TINA!” in all caps on Truth Social, he did.
A Mesa County jury convicted Tina Peters of seven crimes for breaching her own county’s election equipment. A Colorado judge sentenced her to nine years. The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the conviction. Every Democrat in the Colorado legislature, the Democratic Secretary of State, the Democratic Attorney General, the Democratic U.S. senator, and the Republican prosecutor who tried the case all asked the Democratic governor of Colorado not to undo that sentence. Donald Trump posted “FREE TINA!” in all caps. Hours later, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed the order shortening Peters’ nine-year sentence to four years and four-and-a-half months. The conviction stands. The prison term does not. She walks on June 1.