MESA COUNTY, Colo. — Mesa County Clerk and Republican candidate for secretary of state Tina Peters is directing donations for her legal defense to an out-of-state fund amid an investigation by Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission.
Peters faces an ethics investigation for not disclosing donors to the fund, with potential penalties equal to twice the amount raised by the fund. In recent weeks, Peters has been encouraging donations to a Wisconsin-based legal defense fund run by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, who shares Peters’ election rigging conspiracy theories.
Peters has been indicted on felony charges for allegedly tampering with voting systems in search of election rigging. She is also under federal investigation after confidential voting systems information from Mesa County ended up in the hands of conspiracy theorists.
The website for Peters’ original legal defense fund, StandWithTina.org, has been inoperable this week.
A former spokesman for the fund, Rory McShane, directed questions to attorney and KNUS radio host Randy Corporon who said he could confirm, speaking on behalf of Peters, that the fund was no longer active and accepting donations.
Corporon said the Lindell fund in Wisconsin is the “preferred method” to donate to Peters’ legal defense. Corporon said that Peters did not know how much had been raised by her legal fund.
Colorado law generally bans local government officials from accepting a gift worth more than $50, outside campaign contributions.
Lindell confirmed that he has provided funding to Peters’ legal defense in the past and planned to do so in the future, from both his legal defense fund and personal funds.
Lindell said he had not contributed to Peters’ original defense fund and objected to being asked.
“What kind of rotten reporter are you?” Lindell said, and hung up the call.
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