Trump dismantling storied research institute is 'collateral damage' in crusade against Colorado

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Law & Crime

Mar 18th, 2026, 2:48 pm


The Trump administration is engaged in a "campaign of retaliation" against Colorado by targeting a decades-old research institute in the Mile High State, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court this week. The first inklings of this alleged campaign became visible in the spring of 2025 when President Donald Trump began referring to Tina Peters — a convicted felon and former county clerk of Mesa County who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for election-related offenses — as a "hostage" who was punished for "political reasons."

Since then, the Trump administration has "issued a series of escalating threats against Colorado" for the exercise of its sovereign powers, the plaintiffs allege — notably, "with a demand that Colorado end mail-in voting" coinciding with the demand for Peters' release.

In September 2025, the retaliation campaign took a formal leap when Trump announced the relocation of the U.S. Space Force out of Colorado, the lawsuit alleges. Trump made increasingly desperate attempts to free Peters — including a presidential pardon with "no legal effect," according to the plaintiffs.

Then, on the same day in December 2025, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) — a major scientific research facility in Boulder — found itself on the chopping block along with $109 million in transportation funding. "The federal government provided no reasoned justification for the decision to end Colorado's—and only Colorado's—funding," the 47-page original petition filed on Monday reads.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/campaign-of-retaliation-trump-dismantling-storied-research-institute-is-collateral-damage-in-crusade-against-colorado-after-telling-governor-to-rot-in-hell-lawsuit-says/

---

Full headline: 'Campaign of retaliation': Trump dismantling storied research institute is 'collateral damage' in crusade against Colorado after telling governor to 'rot in Hell,' lawsuit says

Link to SUIT (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27892315-ucar-v-nsf-complaint/

Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/27892315/ucar-v-nsf-complaint.pdf