President Trump just stepped into a Colorado political minefield — defending embattled former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters while missing a crucial detail about her criminal case: This wasn’t another Democratic witch hunt. It was brought by law-and-order Republicans.

“FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!” Trump declared on social media Monday, directing the Justice Department to “secure the release” of an “innocent Political Prisoner” suffering “Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats” for exposing “their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020.”

Except Peters was convicted of four felony counts and three misdemeanors for orchestrating a 2021 breach of Mesa’s election system — by a jury in one of Colorado’s most pro-Trump counties.

Three of those felonies stemmed from Peters lying to public officials to fraudulently obtain credentials for a county-hired IT contractor, who was then impersonated by pro-surfer-turned-hacker Conan Hayes before and during a routine election software update. Peters ordered the surveillance cameras disabled, a first in a decade, as Hayes copied sensitive election server data that later leaked online.

Peters claimed she was saving computer logs that would be wiped during the update, but those logs aren’t classified as election records under state or federal rules — which she would have known had she completed her county clerk’s certification.

When certified Larimer County Clerk Angela Myers sought to preserve similar data, she consulted state officials. Peters never did.

Instead, she released three “reports” alleging voting machine manipulation — all thoroughly debunked, including by Republican District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, who led the investigation and prosecution. He only brought in career prosecutors from Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office because rural counties like Mesa lack the manpower for such a complex trial.

Rubinstein had Peters dead to rights, and the jury agreed. Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her to nine years, citing her total lack of responsibility and remorse. After all, if Peters really was just a whistleblower, why the cloak-and-dagger tactics?

Still, to some Republicans, Peters is what “Maryland father” Kilmar Abrego Garcia is to Democrats — a shady figure turned partisan martyr.

A judge identified Abrego Garcia in 2019 as “a verified member of MS-13” and “a danger to others.” Although another judge granted him narrow protection from deportation to El Salvador, he still had an active removal order and was deported this year. Democrats seized on his case as symbolic of Trump-era cruelty; Maryland Senator Van Hollen even flew to El Salvador for a photo op with him. Seriously?

Similarly, a kernel of truth about concerns over election interference doesn’t justify Peters’ actions. Her prosecution and conviction were legitimate. Her actions were criminal and unethical. She’s no hero — just as Abrego Garcia is no innocent victim.

“Nothing about the prosecution of Ms. Peters was politically motivated,” Rubinstein stated this week. “(T)he same voters who elected Ms. Peters also elected the Republican District Attorney who handled the prosecution, and the all-Republican Board of County Commissioners who unanimously requested (Peters’ prosecution) … Ms. Peters was indicted by a grand jury of her peers and convicted at trial by the jury of her peers that she selected.”

Yet the political martyrdom narrative continues, with even elected officials who know better joining in.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert retweeted Trump, commenting: “I am glad to see President Trump address this situation after I sent a formal request to the FBI to look into the sentencing and treatment of Tina Peters.”

But in November 2021 — deep into the investigation — Boebert, then Mesa County’s congresswoman, was personally briefed by Rubinstein. She publicly lauded him for “being responsible in his approach” and “conducting his work in as timely and professional a manner as possible” while “providing local oversight” of the FBI. So, why isn’t she advising the president on the facts now?

Here’s the thing: Trump’s post didn’t come from nowhere. While appealing her conviction in state court, Peters had filed a federal habeas petition claiming First Amendment violations, due process issues and constitutional immunity.

On Monday, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak determined Peters’ “mixed petition” hadn’t fully “exhausted” her state-court remedies — leaving Peters to proceed solely on her First Amendment claim or withdraw her petition entirely and refile later.

That same day, postal worker Vicki Stuart pled guilty to two felonies — identity theft and forgery — after intercepting and fraudulently casting a dozen Mesa County ballots to “test” election integrity. Many of her original 34 felony charges were identical to Peters. Stuart faces up to nine years, but she’ll likely receive leniency — such as probation with possible jail time — because she accepted responsibility and expressed remorse.

That’s a stark contrast to Peters, who went to trial and was convicted, then denied wrongdoing and argued with the judge at sentencing. Had she reached a plea deal, admitted mistakes and acknowledged legal alternatives — like seeking a court order to preserve election data or following Myers’ approach — she might’ve avoided prison entirely. But, according to Rubinstein, Peters never even pursued plea negotiations.

Let’s be clear: A Republican DA prosecuted Tina Peters, a jury of her peers convicted her, and she was punished for perpetrating fraud — not for exposing it.

Which raises a troubling question: Who’s feeding President Trump this revisionist tale about deep-red Mesa County — and what do they stand to gain by turning this lawbreaker into a martyr?

Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter.