Investigators: Mesa County Clerk Allowed Election ‘Conspiracy Theorist’ To Compromise Voting Equipment

Mesa County’s DA is also investigating the breach, and Dominion Voting Systems is cooperating

Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein has assigned an investigator to look into the security breach, which could potentially lead to criminal charges. 

“I can confirm that we have not entered into this investigation with any person or criminal act in mind and will reserve judgment on that until the investigation is complete,” said Rubinstein in an email to CPR. “I also am unable to speculate on the length of time the investigation will take as we are too early in the investigation to have a good sense of the scope of it.”

A spokesperson for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, which provides election equipment to Colorado and 27 other states, said the company continues to work in full cooperation with the state and Mesa County authorities.

Griswold also said her investigators found Peters ordered her staff to turn off the video surveillance that is meant to monitor the voting machines a week before the breach, and that it was only recently turned back on. She said her office is still waiting for more information and documentation and hasn’t been in contact with Peters since launching the investigation Monday.

Peters is currently attending a ‘cyber symposium’ in South Dakota hosted by Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow. Lindell has become a major champion of conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from former president Donald Trump. The proof of fraud Lindell said he would reveal at the symposium did not materialize.  

Dominion Voting Systems is suing Lindell for defamation, saying he spread false information that its voting machines rigged the November presidential election. The company is seeking damages in excess of $1.3 billion. 

Peters said Griswold has targeted her office because ‘I’m a conservative and she’s not’

At the conference Peters said Griswold’s investigation is politically motivated.

“She has come into my office several times already in the last two years since I’ve been the elected official because I am a Republican, I’m a conservative and she’s not. And she weaponizes her position to attack people that disagree with her,” Peters said.

She called Mesa County “the last bastion of freedom” in Colorado and said she’s committed to helping voters there get more information about the November election.

“Something didn’t seem right in our county from years ago, to the 2020 election. And they wanted answers. And I said, ‘You know what? If there’s a there there, we’ll find it.’ And I’ve made that pledge to the citizens of Mesa County and all over Colorado.”

Peters criticized Griswold for making the inquiry so public and said she sent her own staff home earlier this week.

“They have been harassed. They’ve been violently threatened. The Secretary of State of Colorado has opened up Mesa County to incredible reproach.”

Officials have criticized Peters, but so far have not called on her to step down

Matt Crane, head of the Colorado County Clerks Association, had harsh words for what occurred in Mesa County. But he emphasized that the breach only affected local election machines. 

“It was a solo, intentional and selfish act that jeopardized the conduct of the elections and Mesa County and affects the competence of voters throughout the state. We’ve heard people say that this is heroic. To be clear, there is nothing heroic or honorable about what happened in Mesa County,” said Crane, a Republican and former Arapahoe County Clerk.

Neither Griswold nor Crane said whether they believed Peters should step down. 

“I think it’s premature to talk resignation or anything else,” Crane said. “Let’s see what happens with this continued investigation, and then ultimately it’s up to the people in this county to decide.” 

Peters was elected clerk in 2018. The former businesswoman and political newcomer won the job running against a long-time employee of the clerk’s office. She faced widespread blowback last year when her office discovered 574 ballots that were never collected from a dropbox during the fall 2019 election.

Peters survived an effort to recall her from office over the ballots and other issues, including claims that she failed to maintain adequate staffing in the election division.

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