The cold anger of a judge against a follower of the Big Lie

Tina Peters, a former clerk in Mesa County, Colorado, became a hero of the Big Lie after she attempted to breach her own elections office’s secure equipment in 2021 to try to uncover evidence of voter fraud. His accomplice in this affair was linked to Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow and close to Donald Trump. In 2022, Peters unsuccessfully ran for Colorado secretary of state, attempting to exploit his fame among conspiracy theorists. This Thursday, she was sentenced to a nine-year prison term by a judge who showed his cold anger after hearing Peters justify his criminal actions to him.

“I have no doubt you would do it again if you could. You are as defiant as any defendant this court has ever seen,” Judge Matthew Barrett told her as he handed down the sentence. “You are not a hero. You have abused your position and you are a charlatan,” he added. The video of the judge’s exit went viral. Listen from start to finish.

Last August, a Colorado jury convicted Peters of allowing a man to misuse a security card to access the Mesa County election system and of concealing that person’s identity.

(Photo AP)