OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Law enforcement officials searched the homes of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and three of her associates as part of an investigation into accusations of being involved with alleged voting machine security breaches.
The FBI carried out a search of Peters’ home in Mesa County, Colorado, leaving her “terrified,” Peters said in an appearance on Lindell TV.
“Today, large teams of heavily armed federal agents, using a battering ram to break down doors, raided the homes of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and several of her friends and colleagues, mostly elderly women in their mid-60s,” read a statement issued by her defense team.
“Essentially, they were soldiers in combat gear. They were not men in suits with badges,” Peters said. “They looked very much like they were in a combat zone — soldiers with automatic weapons and combat gear.”
Bishop told host Brandon Howse that FBI agents broke down her front door, and took her outside, and handcuffed her.
“All of a sudden, there was such an emergency they had to bash my door in, scare my children, manhandle my daughter, and put me in handcuffs is interesting,” she said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and 21st Judicial District Attorney Dan Rubinstein fired back at claims of excessive force:
“Yesterday, the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office—along with our FBI partners—conducted authorized enforcement actions in support of an ongoing investigation into the alleged election system breach in Mesa County. We have reviewed a statement from Tina Peters’ legal defense fund that claims a level of force during the execution of this joint federal-state law enforcement operation.
At no time was force used on Ms. Peters or her home. Ms. Peters was allowed to move around her home and fix herself breakfast while agents gathered items before departing. We are issuing this statement to clear up inaccuracies about what occurred during yesterday’s enforcement action. We will continue to conduct a thorough investigation based on facts and the law, including using proper law enforcement tools such as the judicially authorized search that was executed properly in this matter.”
The saga with Peters, elected in 2018, began when she allegedly allowed an unauthorized man access to a secure area in the county elections office in May, with help of Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley and a county election manager, Sandra Brown, according to a lawsuit.
Later, passwords from the voting systems were posted online in August.
Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission is investigating a complaint believed to be against Peters, which alleges Peters violated a state constitutional gift ban by accepting flights on a private plane and other travel expenses from Lindell.
“I refuse to give up,” Peters said. “I am more scared than ever for my life, but courage is the key when you do something in spite of fear.”
She added: “I feel that if I was to give up now, I would be giving up on our country. You do the right thing and you see your government come down on you like that, this is the worse nightmare you can imagine.”
The government, Peters added, is trying to intimidate her and others.
“They want to shut me up, shut me out, prosecute me, do whatever they can to villainize and demonize me just to cover up their dirty deeds,” she said, adding, “I can’t unsee what I’ve seen.”
