Election denier Tina Peters freed from prison, immediately tells Steve Bannon:  ‘Democrats are going to cheat’

Moments after Tina Peters was released from prison Monday, the former Colorado GOP election clerk appeared on a far-right podcast where she continued to espouse false election conspiracy theories. 

Peters, who was convicted for her role in a 2021 voting system breach, appeared as a guest on the podcast of former Trump senior advisor Steve Bannon, where she baselessly claimed Democrats rigged voting machines to flip votes.

“I see these elections that are taking place in real time: The Mamdanis, the Virginia governor, Spanberger, and then what’s going on in California and Texas and Maine — just all over the country,” Peters said. “And I know that the Democrats are going to cheat, and no one’s really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for, and that was exposing the election machines that allow the votes to be flipped.”

Peters was convicted in 2024 after prosecutors showed she facilitated unauthorized access to Mesa County voting equipment and helped expose sensitive system data, actions driven by false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. A jury found Peters guilty on multiple counts, and she was sentenced to nine years in prison by a judge who called her a “charlatan” who peddled “snake oil” and said she showed no remorse for her actions. 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) commuted Peters’ sentence last month, after months of pressure from President Donald Trump, MAGA fanatics, and election deniers.

Colorado Sec. of State Jena Griswold (D) warned that Peters’ release will “embolden” election deniers.

“The Governor’s grant of clemency to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country,” Griswold said in a statement to Democracy Docket. “It sends a dangerous message about accountability for those who would attack elections. Peters’ release also will embolden the election denial movement; since the grant of clemency, she has continued to spread election falsehoods and conspiracies.”

Since her incarceration, Peters has become a cause célèbre among election deniers, MAGA supporters, and the far-right. Trump repeatedly called on Polis to free Peters and appeared to punish Colorado with funding cuts and other retaliatory measures for keeping her locked up.

“Tina Peters’ actions have made life harder, not only for election officials here in Colorado, but make no mistake, for election officials all across the country,” Matt Crane, a former Republican clerk and executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said last month. “Her conduct became a rallying point for election conspiracy movements that fueled hostility and distrust towards the very people responsible for administering free and fair elections.”

Now that Peters is freed, the same people who called for her release are demanding retribution against the Colorado officials who convicted her. 

“We need to bring accountability for what these lawfare Democrats did to Tina Peters,” conservative attorney Mike Davis said on Bannon’s show Monday. “They openly went after her for her First Amendment-protected views.”

Polis’ actions have been widely condemned by election officials and Democratic and Republican elected officials in his state. Shortly after Polis commuted Peters’ sentence, he was censured by his own state Democratic party, which means he’s no longer welcomed to participate “as an honored guest, featured speaker, or officially recognized representative” at any state events sponsored by his own party.

But a social media account managed by Peters’ legal team defended Polis — and suggested that the censure was further evidence of Democrats trying to cover up a rigged 2020 election.

“The censure of Governor Polis shows just how radical the left has truly become,” the post said. “And if they are this afraid of mercy being shown to one whistleblower, the public should ask what they are still trying so hard to hide.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) said Peters’ social media posts show she “lacks remorse” for her actions. 

“If you needed proof that Tina Peters lacks remorse, read the post below,” Weiser said on X, in response to Peters’ social media post. “Commuting her sentence was a historic mistake, a disservice to those who protect our elections, and an insult to those of us who worked on this criminal prosecution.”