A former Colorado county clerk who became an icon among election deniers was convicted Monday of election interference for violating her county’s voting systems.
Tina Peters, former Mesa County clerk, was found guilty of four felonies after a lengthy criminal trial. She was cleared of three minor charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Peters stole a county employee’s security badge to help a man associated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell gain access to county election systems to aid Lindell’s false conspiracies about the validity of the county’s election results. 2020.
To close judgment arguments, prosecutor Janet Drake argued that Peters allowed a man posing as a county employee to make copies of the election system’s hard drive before and after a May 2021 software update.
Drake argued that Peters was “fixated” on the desire to be a “hero” and to impress Lindell, one of the most notable election-denying conspiracy theorists.
“The defendant was a fox who guarded the henhouse. It was her job to protect election equipment, and she activated it and used its power to her own advantage,” Drake said in arguments, according to the Associated Press.
Peters lost the 2022 primary to keep his clerkship.
Peters is the first local official to be convicted over conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election results. Election analysts have raised warnings that local officials could again play a key role in the 2024 election, refusing to certify election results if former President Trump does not win.
While Trump has attempted to distance himself from the 2020 election conspiracies, he has continued to leave open concerns about the upcoming November elections, specifically around election security.
Trump and other top Republicans, including his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), have refused calls to openly state that they will accept the November election results, only saying they will do so if the results are “free and fair.” “
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
