CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed Colorado Governor Jared Polis about President Donald Trump’s public push to pardon Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 of tampering with voting machines and received a nine-year sentence. Trump’s social-media posts, including a claim of a "full pardon," were described by Colorado legal experts as symbolic and lacking legal force. Polis said clemency decisions are made on the merits, weighing factors like age, nonviolence and accountability, and that no decision has been reached.
CBS Anchor Presses Polis as Trump Repeats Calls To Pardon Tina Peters
Jared Polis is interviewed by Tony Dokoupil on
CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Monday about President Donald Trump’s repeated public calls to free Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 of tampering with voting machines and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Background
President Trump has publicly urged clemency for Peters, posting on Truth Social that he had granted her a "full pardon," a claim Colorado legal experts called symbolic and without legal force. Trump has framed Peters as a victim of partisan targeting and has repeatedly posted about her case in recent weeks, at times misstating her age.
Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was sentenced to nine years for tampering with voting machines. / Marc Piscotty / Getty Images
The Interview
Broadcasting from Denver, Dokoupil asked Gov. Polis whether he was "coming around" to support a pardon. During the interview the anchor repeated an erroneous age for Peters, saying she was 73 on air. Polis responded that clemency decisions are made on the merits rather than at the direction of any outside figure.
"You look at every case on clemency on the merits," Polis said. "You have somebody who is non-violent, first-time offender, elderly. On the other hand, does she take full accountability for her crime?"
Polis told Dokoupil he routinely reviews many clemency requests and that age can be a factor in considering how much of a threat an elderly inmate poses to public safety. "Mercy and giving people a second chance is a core value of mine," he said.
Gov. Jared Polis said Peters would not get special treatment because of the president's intervention. / Hyoung Chang / Denver Post via Getty Images
Case Context
During Peters’s 2024 sentencing hearing, Colorado trial court Judge Matthew Barrett said, "I’m convinced you’d do it all over again if you could," and characterized her motives as seeking "power, a following and fame." Peters remains incarcerated while legal experts in Colorado say a presidential social-media "pardon" post does not produce an enforceable state-level pardon.
Aftermath And Reporter’s Profile
Dokoupil later conducted a shorter social-media "overtime" exchange with Polis in which he suggested some voters were unhappy with the governor’s initial response. Polis reiterated there is no decision yet and that some facts in the case cut in Peters’s favor while others do not.
Tony Dokoupil reporting from Doral, Florida. / CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images
The interview also drew attention to Dokoupil himself: he has been broadcasting from different states as part of a programming push and has faced scrutiny in recent weeks over a helicopter ride with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and other personal details reported in the press. The Daily Beast has contacted CBS for comment.
Why It Matters
The exchange highlights the tension between presidential public appeals and the legal and procedural limits of clemency at the state level. It also underscores how high-profile coverage and public commentary can influence, but not dictate, the deliberative process governors use for clemency requests.
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