A Colorado judge has received multiple threats after sentencing a former county clerk who rejected the election to prison for orchestrating a security breach to further a conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk, was sentenced to nine years behind bars for granting unauthorized access to the county’s election system to someone associated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump supporter who falsely claims that voting machine companies manipulated the last presidential election. election.
Will Sightler, the court administrator for Colorado’s 21st Judicial District, said in a statement Friday that the court “has received threats and compliments regarding Judge [Matthew] Barrett’s Conviction of Tina Peters.’ The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office told The Associated Press that law enforcement is investigating these threats and has increased security at the courthouse as a result.
Considered a hero to election-denying conspiracy theorists, Peters was convicted in August on three counts of attempting to influence a public official; and one count each of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, official misconduct in the first degree, dereliction of duty and failure to comply with the Secretary of State. After the verdict, she continued to espouse false claims about the election on social media and on Steve Bannon’s podcast.
Peters was handed her lengthy sentence during a hearing Thursday after Barrett excoriated her for her crimes and said she used her position as county clerk “to sell snake oil” and pursue fame.
“Your lies are well documented and these convictions are serious,” Barrett told her, adding that the damage she caused was “immeasurable.”
“I’m convinced you would do it all again if you could,” he said. “You’re as challenging a defendant as I’ve ever seen.”
Officials did not provide details on the number or nature of threats against court staff. But the threats follow a pattern of government officials reporting a wave of intimidation and threats in recent years, reflecting a deeply polarized society and the embrace of violent rhetoric by prominent politicians — particularly Trump — against their political rivals.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
