MAGA Election Official Sentenced to 9 Years for Giving Trump Goons Entry to Voting Information

Tina Peters, a former county clerk in Colorado, was sentenced to 9 years in jail on Thursday for giving allies of Donald Trump entry to voting information after the 2020 election, in accordance with a livestream of the sentencing. Peters grew to become a hero amongst Trump supporters for denying that President Joe Biden had rightfully gained the election and was convicted for permitting a person to illegally entry information from the Mesa County election system utilizing a stolen keycard.

Prosecutors within the case mentioned Peters was intent on gaining fame for her loyalty to Trump, and was “fixated” on the concept the 2020 election was one way or the other “stolen” by the Democrats. There’s been no proof of widespread fraud within the 2020 election after dozens of court docket instances introduced by the Trump marketing campaign, although the previous president continues to insist he really gained.

Working because the Mesa County Clerk, Peters used one other employee’s safety keycard and copied arduous drive photos from voting machines that had been then introduced publicly at a 2021 convention by Mike Lindell, the founding father of MyPillow and a detailed ally of Trump. The protection argued that Peters was solely making an attempt to protect election information, however that argument was unconvincing to a jury.

Peters was discovered responsible in August on seven of the ten counts she was initially charged with, in accordance with the native ABC TV affiliate in Denver, together with conspiracy to commit felony impersonation, violation of responsibility, failure to adjust to necessities of the Colorado Secretary of State, and makes an attempt to affect a public servant.

Peters spoke for roughly 42 minutes in a rambling and conspiracy-laden method through the sentencing listening to Thursday and insisted that she doesn’t deserve jail time.

“I’m not a felony. I’ve lived my life with honor and with honesty,” Peters mentioned, in accordance with a livestream from the courtroom obtainable on YouTube. “I don’t deserve to enter a jail the place different individuals have dedicated heinous crimes.”

Peters additionally mentioned that she felt dangerous for prosecutors who had been asking for a strict sentence as a result of “God doesn’t like individuals messing together with his youngsters, and I imagine I’m a baby of God.” Peters insisted that she has medical circumstances that may’t be handled in jail, and mentioned she wanted to sleep on a magnetic mattress. Older Trump supporters have turn out to be slightly infamous for his or her New Age medical beliefs, particularly after “different” medical therapies grew to become common on the political proper through the covid-19 pandemic—therapies like ivermectin, which they imagine can remedy the illness.

Choose Matthew Barrett instructed Peters at Thursday’s sentencing that he was satisfied Peters would attempt to do all of it once more within the pursuit of fame. Choose Barrett talked about the perks that Peters loved by changing into a form of mini-celebrity throughout the Trump media ecosystem.

“You cared in regards to the jets, the podcasts, and the individuals fawning over you,” Barrett mentioned, in accordance with a neighborhood NBC affiliate who was within the courtroom Thursday. “You’re a charlatan and you can not assist however lie as simple as you may breathe.”

“I’m satisfied you’d do it over again for those who might. You’re as defiant a defendant as this court docket has seen,” Barrett mentioned.

Bodycam footage from Peters’ arrest in February 2022, which is offered on YouTube, exhibits the confrontational arrest, the place the previous county clerk may be heard repeatedly shouting “no, let go of me” and “you’re hurting me” on the arresting officers and claiming she would have bruising from being manhandled. At one level she additionally says “shut up, what an asshole factor to say to me,” after an officer instructed her to face up like an grownup as she was being arrested. Your entire trade is slightly outstanding once you keep in mind that Trump supporters demand full compliance with something a police officer is saying and sometimes blame these being arrested for “resisting” arrest.

The sentence of 9 years contains two years spent in county jail and 7 years within the Colorado Division of Corrections.