Tina Peters’ attorney is now openly floating the idea that President Donald Trump should use the U.S. military to break the convicted Colorado election denier out of state prison – the latest escalation in a wave of far-right rhetoric surrounding her case.
The comments came during a recent appearance on MAGA influencer Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, when attorney Peter Tickton was asked whether he believed Trump should dispatch the 101st Airborne Division to Peters’ Colorado facility to forcibly remove her. Tickton didn’t hesitate.
“Do I think it should be done? For who I am, yeah – I’d love to see that happen,” Tickton replied.
Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted last year in a scheme to undermine the 2020 election, is serving a nine-year sentence for tampering with election equipment in 2021 after breaching voting machines. Her imprisonment has become a rallying point for MAGA activists, with Trump calling her a “political prisoner” and demanding her immediate release earlier this year.
The attorney’s wild military raid idea comes as a bipartisan group of Colorado county clerks issued a rare joint statement urging Republican Gov. Jared Polis to keep Peters in state custody, following reports that federal officials have sought to have her transferred to the federal prison system.
Meanwhile, rhetoric from Peters’ allies continues to intensify, according to a 9News KUSA report by Denver journalist Kyle Clark. He reported that MAGA podcaster Joe Oltmann, an influential figure in Colorado’s far-right circles and a Peters ally, went further this week, calling for the execution of Polis and other state officials for their handling of the Peters case, saying they should “hang by their neck until dead.”
Polis has not said whether he plans to hand Peters over to federal authorities, but has agreed to meet with the clerks following their public plea.