Colorado secretary of state sues to stop Mesa County clerk from overseeing elections

Colorado’s caput of authorities filed a suit Monday to region the clerk of Mesa County from her relation overseeing elections due to the fact that the clerk is nether transgression probe for allegedly allowing a information breach of predetermination equipment.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, filed the suit successful Mesa County District Court. Griswold tin unilaterally necessitate supervision of region elections, arsenic she did successful Mesa County earlier this month, but needs a judge’s bid earlier taking the further measurement of preventing region clerks from overseeing elections.

Monday’s suit is the latest fallout from an alleged information breach astatine Mesa County’s predetermination office. Griswold believes that Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, a Republican, allowed an unauthorized antheral into a unafraid country successful May. Images of the county’s predetermination instrumentality passwords and hard drives were aboriginal posted online and presented astatine a conspiracy theorist league that Peters attended.

The alleged breach is under probe by the FBI and the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Griswold’s bureau besides investigated the substance and determined that Peters apt allowed the breach to hap May 25.

The suit seeks to name Wayne Williams, Griswold’s Republican predecessor, arsenic Mesa County’s apical predetermination authoritative for the November elections and springiness Sheila Reiner, Peters’ Republican predecessor, the presumption of elections supervisor. On Monday, the Mesa County Commission approved a declaration that volition wage Williams $180 per hr to bash the job. Reiner is presently the region treasurer.

Peters, meanwhile, has been traveling extracurricular of Colorado due to the fact that she says she has received threats and fears for her safety. Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow who believes the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination was rigged by voting machines, has said that helium is helping her determination betwixt states and providing information for Peters.

Peters did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Monday and has not responded to requests for remark since leaving the authorities Aug. 9. She was a impermanent connected Lindell’s online amusement past week and criticized investigations into her.

“For weeks, the DA has been sending his radical retired to interrogation my employees, some contiguous and past. The employees person felt precise intimidated by this and the questions they’re asking them are to effort to excavation up — to spot if they were dissatisfied with maine oregon my main (deputy),” Peters said of the Republican territory attorney.

“If they’re looking for something, they’re going to find something,” she added.