Politics
Tina Peters’ 60 Minutes appearance puts her election claims back in the spotlight
The former Mesa County clerk appeared on 60 Minutes nine days before the Nov. 3 midterms, declining to say plainly whether she broke the law. Since her June release from prison, Peters has traveled and spoken publicly while serving parole; Colorado corrections officials say she has had no violations.
Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, renewing attention to her efforts to promote unproven claims of election fraud just days before Colorado voters head to the polls in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
In an interview recorded in August with correspondent Bill Whitaker, Peters did not directly acknowledge breaking the law. Asked, “Did you break the law?” she replied: “Did I — are you asking me if I broke the law? They said I broke the law.” Whitaker noted that a Republican district attorney in a Republican county had prosecuted her. Peters, also a Republican, responded, “Doesn’t matter.”
Peters was released from state prison June 1 after Gov. Jared Polis commuted the remainder of her sentence. The decision drew a sharp response from Colorado Democrats: the party’s central committee voted overwhelmingly to censure Polis. Peters remains a convicted felon and is on parole.
Since her release, Peters has made podcast appearances, traveled to political events and posted frequently on social media. She met President Donald Trump at the White House on June 30 and attended a June election-fraud gathering in Las Vegas, as well as the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas. Earlier this month, she urged Trump to seize ballots from states to allow recounts after the election.
Colorado Department of Corrections records show that Peters must report travel plans to her parole supervisor and obtain approval for travel outside the state. The department said she has received approval for her travel and has no identified parole violations. Her supervisor, Dan Ward, wrote in an email to department staff that her parole terms do not restrict public speaking, social media activity or contact with election officials.
Peters’ public campaign has alarmed election officials, who have warned that misinformation about voting can confuse voters and put election workers at risk. Officials have also cautioned that such claims could fuel challenges to election results. Peters said upon release that she planned to support “election integrity” and prison reform.
The 60 Minutes segment aired as election officials and Democratic leaders have raised concerns about possible federal involvement in vote counting. The U.S. Department of Justice recently notified counties nationwide, including Adams County, that it plans to send election observers on Election Day.
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Colorado Democrat, said his party is better prepared for challenges to the election process than it was after the 2020 presidential election. “I think there was a failure of imagination in some regards in terms of understanding the nefarious ways that the Trump administration and the sycophants around him would try to subvert a free and fair election,” he said.