An embattled former county clerk in Colorado who is serving a nine-year sentence for her efforts to help President Donald Trump overturn the results of the 2020 election asked the Colorado Court of Appeals to recognize the president's pardon of her, according to a new report.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that lawyers for Tina Peters asked the appeals court to recognize Trump's pardon, citing George Washington's pardons of those who participated in the Whiskey Rebellion in 1795. Presidential pardons do not cover state crimes, although Peters' lawyers are asking the appeals court to make an exception.
Peters was convicted of seven state charges related to a data breach of Mesa County, Colorado's election system. She was sentenced to nine years in state prison in October 2024 and has lived in a state correctional facility since earlier this year.
Trump said on Truth Social that he was issuing a pardon for Peters on December 11, and accused Democrats of "targeting" Peters for prosecution.
Peter Ticktin, one of Peter's lawyers, told the AP that they plan to appeal to the Supreme Court if the Colorado Court of Appeals rules that Trump's pardon is invalid.
The appeals court on Wednesday asked the Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser, who is prosecuting the case, to respond to Peters' arguments by Jan. 8.