Trump Administration Allegedly Orchestrated Retribution Campaign Against Colorado

Court documents and emails disclosed in a lawsuit filed by Colorado Attorney General Philip J. Weiser reveal that the Donald Trump administration allegedly coordinated a campaign of political retribution against Colorado in late 2025. The retaliation followed Governor Jared Polis's refusal to pardon Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk and Trump ally imprisoned for unauthorized access to voting equipment.

A December 15, 2025, email from a presidential deputy assistant summoned federal agency heads to brainstorm immediate actions against the state. The resulting measures included stripping food stamps from thousands of low-income families via the U.S. Department of Agriculture, canceling clean drinking water funding in southeastern Colorado, and rejecting wildfire recovery projects on the Western Slope. The administration also planned to dismantle a research lab in Boulder and removed the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs.

Financial losses attributed to these actions include $615 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and $109 million from the Department of Transportation. U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson characterized the evidence as extraordinary and troubling, ordering federal agencies to provide further documentation. While Justice Department attorneys argued that the Constitution permits decisions based on political considerations, Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper condemned the actions as a weaponization of the federal government.