President Donald Trump says he is granting a pardon to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk who is serving a Colorado prison sentence for her role in breaching the security of her own election equipment, according to Colorado Newsline.
Presidential pardons have been universally understood throughout American history to apply only to federal crimes, not state crimes. Peters was convicted on state charges, and legal experts view the prospect of a pardon for Peters as legally implausible.
Trump announced the pardon on social media.
Reacting to the announcement, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said: "Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney, and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation. No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions."
[Peters, 70, is imprisoned at the La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo and on Thursday night the prison canceled in-person inmate visits scheduled for Friday, according to the corrections department. Maybe it's just a coincidence.]
[Photo: Colorado Department of Corrections]
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