Trump meets convicted Colorado election clerk Tina Peters to discuss election integrity plans

President Donald Trump convened a meeting in the Oval Office with Tina Peters, a former Colorado election clerk convicted of seven offenses, including felonies, to address election integrity and plans for the midterm elections, according to former Justice Department official Ed Martin. Martin said the conversation was tied to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's August alert that voting machines contain components from China, Russia and other adversaries, creating security risks.

Mullin's letter connected federal security grants to random manual audits of paper ballots, though it did not prove any system was compromised. Martin stressed that while election administration is typically a state responsibility, federal laws on safety and national security also apply. He further linked the meeting to the stalled SAVE America Act, implying the president may act unilaterally if Congress fails to pass the bill. Peters' conviction stemmed from allowing unauthorized access to Mesa County voting equipment in 2021, a sentence later reduced by Governor Jared Polis.