Heading into the New Year, President Donald Trump said he would like Gov. Jared Polis and others in Colorado to “rot in hell.”

The object of the president’s ire is Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of state crimes for a data breach in the 2020 election. Polis, along with other Colorado officials, has defended the conviction of Peters. They have refused the federal government’s request to transfer her to a federal prison.

“God Bless Tina Peters, who is now, for two years out of nine, sitting in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison, at the age of 73, and sick, for the “crime” of trying to stop the massive voter fraud that goes on in her State ( where people are leaving in record numbers!). Hard to wish her a Happy New Year, but to the Scumbag Governor, and the disgusting “Republican” (RINO!) DA, who did this to her (nothing happens to the Dems and their phony Mail In Ballot System that makes it impossible for a Republican to win an otherwise very winnable State!), I wish them only the worst,” Trump posted on Truth Social early on Wednesday.

“May they rot in Hell. FREE TINA PETTERS!” the president added.

In response to Trump, Polis took a more positive approach, providing this email response to Colorado Politics: “I hope the President’s resolution this year is to spend less time online talking about me and more on making America more affordable by stopping his disastrous tariffs and fixing rising health care costs. Finally, I wish all Americans, including the President and all the wonderful people across the political spectrum, a happy, healthy and productive New Year.”

This is not the first time Trump has criticized Polis. Besides calling him a “scumbag,” Trump has referred to Polis as “weak and pathetic,” and accused the Colorado governor of being “run by Tren de Aragua,” the Venezuelan gang that has established a foothold in metro Denver.

On Dec. 4, Trump called Polis a “sleazebag” for refusing to allow an “elderly woman, Tina Peters, who was unfairly convicted,” out of jail.

In response, Polis said Trump needs to focus on his job.

“He needs to focus on making life more affordable, reducing costs. His tariffs go the opposite way and make life more expensive,” Polis earlier said. “Anybody can say a lot of things. He’s sent out a hundred different things on media, but the focus of what you need to do as a leader — as a governor, as a president, as a senator — really needs to be focused on making life better for people and making life more affordable.”

Trump “pardoned” Peters last month, though experts said that has no practical effect on Peters’ jail sentence, since she was convicted under state charges. Trump’s pardon power does not extend to state crimes.

In a motion, Peters’ lawyers said the Colorado appeals court no longer has jurisdiction over her case because of Trump’s Dec. 5 pardon. They also asked the court to release her from prison after Trump’s pardon.

In the court filing, Peters’ lawyers argued that President George Washington issued pardons to people convicted of both state and federal crimes in the Whiskey Rebellion in 1795 and urged the state appeals court to issue a ruling quickly.

The court is set to hear arguments from lawyers in Peters’ appeal of her conviction on Jan. 14.

The appeals court ruled that lawyers from the state attorney general’s office, which is defending the conviction, could respond to Peters’ arguments by Jan. 8.

Reporter Ernest Luning contributed to this report.