Colorado clerk Tina Peters pleaded not responsible Wednesday to expenses of election tampering and official misconduct in reference to a safety breach of Mesa County’s voting system final yr.
Peters faces 10 felony and misdemeanor expenses following a grand jury’s indictment associated to the breach. She is accused of permitting unauthorized folks to interrupt into her county’s election system looking for proof supporting baseless election fraud theories espoused by former President Donald Trump.
The felony expenses embody trying to affect a public servant, prison impersonation, conspiracy to commit prison impersonation, and identification theft. Peters additionally faces misdemeanor expenses of official misconduct, violation of obligation and failure to adjust to necessities of the Colorado secretary of state.
NBC Information has reached out to Peters for remark.
Peters, who ran unsuccessfully for Colorado secretary of state this yr, has denied wrongdoing and has stated the costs in opposition to her are politically motivated. Whereas she has issued reviews purporting to indicate suspicious exercise inside voting methods, these have been debunked by numerous officers and specialists.
Following the allegations, a decide barred Peters from overseeing each final and this years’ elections in Mesa County, which Trump gained handily in 2020.
Final month, a recount confirmed Peters misplaced the GOP major election for Colorado’s high elections put up. Peters demanded a recount after dropping her major bid by greater than 85,000 votes, baselessly alleging fraud, and raised greater than $250,000 to fund the hassle.
The recount barely modified the outcomes, with Peters selecting up simply 13 extra votes within the June major election. Peters moved to problem the first election recount, suing Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold and the state’s county clerks. A decide on Tuesday threw out Peters’ lawsuit.
Information of Peters’ not responsible plea comes the identical day the Colorado Supreme Courtroom quickly blocked her from deposing the decide presiding over the case in opposition to her in reference to an unrelated contempt of courtroom matter.
