Bannon’s War Room - Episode 5144: WarRoom Special: The 500 Days of Tina Peters

Date: February 14, 2026
Host: Steve Bannon
Guests: Apollo (Tina Peters advocacy), Ken DeGraff (Colorado State Legislature), Peter Tickton (Attorney), John Case (Attorney), Unknown Prison Advocates

Overview:

This episode marks a special War Room broadcast focusing on “The 500 Days Of Tina Peters”, the former Mesa County Clerk sentenced to nearly nine years for a data breach related to the 2020 election. The show frames Peters as a political prisoner, spotlights alleged abuses and harsh conditions she faces in Colorado’s high-security women’s prison, and details ongoing efforts by her legal and political advocates to secure her release. The hosts and guests argue the severity of her treatment is unprecedented and politically motivated, connecting it to broader claims of election integrity and civil rights violations. The episode is deeply sympathetic to Peters, calling for her release and increased public attention.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Background and Sentencing of Tina Peters

• [00:05] Steve Bannon: Recaps that Tina Peters, a 72-year-old Gold Star mother, was sentenced to nine years for her role in a data breach inspired by election fraud claims.
• Allegations: Bannon and guests claim Peters is being unfairly criminalized for her efforts to “preserve election records” (a reference to making unauthorized system images of election equipment).
• Political Framing: The episode consistently refers to Peters as a “political prisoner,” suggesting that her conviction and treatment are punishment for challenging official election results.

Life Inside Prison and Alleged Abuse

• Physical Abuse:
  • [00:54] Apollo and advocates allege Peters has suffered multiple assaults by violent inmates, most recently by a younger inmate serving time for stabbing, who was then paroled soon after the incident.
  • [01:17] Unknown Prison Advocate: “This is effectively a death penalty for Tina Peters because she dared to question election results.”
  • [10:28] Steve Bannon/Apollo: The state is accused of punitive solitary confinement (special housing unit) for Peters, while her attacker received parole.
• Neglect & Health Issues:
  • [05:09] Apollo: Details harsh conditions: denial of transfer to safer facilities, denial of medical care, forced to sleep on a thin mattress, unaddressed injuries, and being ignored by prison staff.
• Psychological Torment:
  • [14:35] “Civil Rights Division of DOJ has actually been sent a large batch of information ... They have problems with the heating. She's kept in exceptionally hot temperatures ... she's reprimanded for trying to keep warm ... as a lung cancer survivor, she’s been denied ... scans until the media kicked in.”
• Targeted Isolation:
  • [30:36] “They're trying to break Tina Peters. They're trying to break her psychologically…”

Legal, Civil Rights, and Political Arguments

• Unprecedented Sentencing:
  • [33:08] John Case: “They really tripled the penalty and made sure they got her. How can this happen in Colorado? ... Here's what [the judge] said: ... ‘the position she held ... has provided her the pulpit from which she can preach these lies. The undermining of our democratic process ... And prison is ... where we send people who are a danger to all of us ... by the pen ... or the word.’”
  • [36:25] Case notes her near-nine-year sentence is tantamount to a death sentence for someone of Peters’ age and health.
• Denial of Due Process:
  • [05:09] Apollo: “She has not been able to bond out on appeal ... kept in prison with violent offenders ... despite meeting all state criteria for bond on appeal, despite being a first-time nonviolent offender who has an excellent chance of her charges being reversed…”
• Whistleblower Claim:
  • [23:33] Ken DeGraff: “The entire aspect of her being a whistleblower and backing up those files ... whistleblower doesn’t have to be correct ... we’re talking about election integrity which actually does fall under the civil rights rule ... the hypocrisy of the Democrats for unanimously wanting to keep a 70-year-old nonviolent alleged offender ... in horrific conditions ... for protecting the Civil Rights act.”
• Pardon by President Trump:
  • [49:46] Apollo: Argues that despite a presidential pardon (by Trump), Colorado authorities and the state judiciary have continued to hold Peters.
  • [37:45] Peter Tickton: “The Court of Appeals has to basically rule on [the pardon]. ... We expect they'll probably go along with the flow of saying that it doesn’t apply to state charges. ... This issue’ll get resolved in the Supreme Court…”

Political and Civil Rights Advocacy

• Comparison to POW Conditions:
  • [22:06] Steve Bannon/Ken DeGraff: “You had a POW buddy that thought that Tina Peters situation was equivalent to the prisoners of war during Vietnam.”
  • [30:36] Apollo: “The facility is completely infested with mold ... She's had a cough ... for at least nine months now ... She’s lost a considerable amount of weight ... The constant fear of violence and people threatening her ... the throwing her in solitary ... kept 24,7 under fluorescent lights, not allowed to go outside one to two hours a day ... Cut off from all phones and contact with the outside.”
• Use as a Deterrent:
  • [38:16] Peter Tickton: “She is there to warn all the other clerks ... Don’t you dare make a copy ... because if you do, you’re going to get what Tina Peters is getting. ... And believe me, it’s working. It’s scaring the other clerks and the supervisors of elections throughout the United States.”
• Continuous Legal Appeals:
  • [45:28] John Case: “We filed a reply in our effort to have Tina released on bond while the court is deciding her appeal. This is the fourth application we have made for bond pending appeal and we've never had a ruling.”
  • [46:41] John Case: Repeatedly directs listeners to “tinapeters.us” for updates/support.

Calls to Action and Warnings

• [49:46] Apollo: “If they can do this to Tina Peters, they can do this to every single one of you. The precedent that has stood ... is that you can be imprisoned and denied bail for first time offenses for your political speech and treated like an absolute prisoner of war ... She is a prisoner of war. And everyone needs to remember, this came down from DOJ. ... Tina Peters is the symbol ... if you can do your job and be thrown in prison and turned into a villain, your children can be as well.”
• [52:22] Multiple reminders to visit tinapeters.us for legal defense fund, show links, and case updates.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Steve Bannon [00:05]:
  “Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was sentenced to nine years behind bars yesterday for a data breach scheme inspired by Trump's false claims of voter fraud.”
• Unknown Prison Advocate [01:17]:
  “This is effectively a death penalty for Tina Peters because she dared to question election results.”
• Ken DeGraff [18:43]:
  “I think it’s pretty clear that Tina Peters is a political prisoner.”
• John Case [33:08]:
  “The judge sentenced her to eight years, nine months—because of words that she used to criticize the computer voting system.”
• Steve Bannon [36:02]:
  “In the Colorado women's prison system ... they essentially tried to give her a death sentence, did they not, sir?”
• Peter Tickton [38:16]:
  “The first reason is to shut her up ... The second ... she’s a scapegoat ... The third ... is as an example to all the other clerks ... Don’t you dare image the hard drive. ... It’s scaring the other clerks and supervisors of elections throughout the United States.”
• Apollo [49:46]:
  “If they can do this to Tina Peters, they can do this to every single one of you ... you can be imprisoned and denied bail for first time offenses for your political speech and treated like an absolute prisoner of war.”

Segment Timeline

• 00:00–01:30: Episode opens with Peters’ sentencing and the political framing of her case.
• 01:30–05:00: Initial discussion of Peters’ imprisonment conditions, alleged abuses, legal irregularities.
• 05:00–12:00: Detailed account of prison life, health neglect, and targeted maltreatment (Apollo & advocates).
• 12:00–15:00: Threefold breakdown—physical, health, and psychological torment.
• 17:30–27:36: Ken DeGraff on official duplicity, legislature, and the political context in Colorado.
• 30:00–43:30: In-depth with attorneys (John Case, Peter Tickton) on judicial rationale, appeal process, pardon complications.
• 45:28–49:46: Final round of legal updates, calls to action, emotional appeals for public support.
• Throughout: Frequent calls to visit tinapeters.us and warnings of broader implications for civil rights.

Tone, Language, and Memorable Moments

• The episode maintains an urgent, combative, and often emotional tone, frequently invoking war and POW analogies (“gulag,” “prisoner of war,” “political prisoner”).
• [37:12] John Case: “The harder they lean on Tina in prison, the stronger her spirit becomes. ... She is like the POWs in Vietnam. The harder they press on them, the stronger their spirit becomes.”
• [52:14] Apollo: “Tina Peters is the symbol that they made her out to be. ... If you can do your job and be thrown in prison and turned into a villain, your children can be as well. And that’s what Tina is most concerned about.”
• The panel expresses unwavering support for Peters and frames her situation as a warning to anyone in public service who might challenge official narratives.

Resources for Listeners

• Legal and Advocacy Support: tinapeters.us (for show links, legal defense fund, updates)
• Ken DeGraff on X: @ColoradoRepKDeGraff

Conclusion

This War Room special purports to expose the “Kafkaesque” plight of Tina Peters, claiming her case is not just a personal injustice but a symbol of how political dissent is being targeted in America. Through emotional testimony from allies, legal arguments, and continual calls to action, the episode serves as a rallying cry for listeners to support Peters and resist what it characterizes as the weaponization of the justice system against political opponents.

For further information, legal defense donations, or to follow the case:
Visit tinapeters.us