Griswold Calls FBI Raid “Un-American”—After FBI Raided Peters at Her Request
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold condemned the FBI’s seizure of Fulton County’s 2020 election records this week. “That idea of using police force to push policy is un-American,” she told reporters at the National Association of Secretaries of State conference. Four years earlier, the FBI raided Tina Peters’ home at 6 a.m. in an investigation Griswold’s office initiated.
Peters, then the Mesa County Clerk, was 66 years old. Federal, state, and local authorities executed search warrants on her home and three associates’ homes on November 16, 2021. The 21st Judicial District Attorney confirmed the FBI gathered evidence “in connection with the investigation into the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.” Griswold’s office had referred the case after voting system hard drives appeared online.
A grand jury indicted Peters in March 2022 on ten counts including attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, and identity theft. She was convicted on seven counts in August 2024. Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her to nine years in October 2024. She was 70 years old at sentencing.
Conan Hayes used a borrowed security badge to access Mesa County’s election equipment during a May 2021 software update. He made copies of the hard drives. He has never been charged. Sherronna Bishop paid for Hayes’ hotel room and attended planning meetings. She has never been charged.
Peters sits in La Vista Women’s Correctional Facility.
The FBI’s Fulton County search followed documented violations the county admitted under oath. On December 9, 2025, county attorney Ann Brumbaugh told the State Election Board that 315,000 early votes were counted without required signatures on tabulator tapes. “We do not dispute that the tapes were not signed,” Brumbaugh stated. “It was a violation of the rule.” The Board voted 3-0 to refer the case to the Attorney General for potential fines exceeding $670,000.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sued Fulton County Clerk Ché Alexander on December 11 demanding all 2020 ballots and records. Alexander refused, citing sealed records. A judge ordered compliance. The county requested delays.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the legal basis on January 29. “We presented our facts and the findings of the investigation, and the judge determined there was probable cause,” Patel said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas signed the warrant. Twenty-five FBI agents seized 700 boxes of ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images, and voter rolls on January 28.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was on scene. Her office stated she “has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure.”
Griswold’s office exposed BIOS passwords for voting machines in 34 Colorado counties from June through October 24, 2024. The passwords appeared in a hidden tab of a spreadsheet posted on the Secretary of State’s website. Citizen researcher Shawn Smith discovered them. The Colorado Republican Party made them public.
An outside investigation by Baird Quinn LLC found Griswold’s office violated state information security rules. The investigator determined the passwords were “mistakenly, unknowingly and unintentionally” posted. An employee was fired. No criminal charges were filed.
Griswold knew about the leak for five days before public disclosure. She did not notify county clerks or the governor. Her deputy, Christopher Beall, told clerks in a recorded call: “We were not going to tell counties because we could not tell counties without it becoming the media storm it has become.”
Peters received nine years for unauthorized access to voting equipment. Griswold’s office exposed 34 counties’ voting machine passwords for four months. No charges were filed.
Griswold told reporters this week she is preparing “disaster simulations” for the 2026 midterms. She is running scenarios with Governor Polis, Attorney General Weiser, and county clerks anticipating potential federal intervention in state elections. She expressed concern that the Trump administration dismantled efforts to track election interference and foreign meddling.
Griswold is running for Colorado Attorney General. The Democratic primary is June 30, 2026. Her opponents include Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty and former House Speaker Crisanta Duran.
HCA documented Griswold’s record—the password leak, the 9-0 Supreme Court reversal, the Judicial Watch settlement, and unequal prosecution—in “The Audacity of Jena Griswold: Demanding Transparency She Never Provided” (November 22, 2025).
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