Trump Administration Accused of Sabotaging Boulder Weather Lab in Vindictive Retaliation Over Tina Peters and Mail-In Voting

The Trump administration is facing a federal lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, as part of a politically motivated retaliation campaign tied to the jailing of Tina Peters and Colorado’s mail-in voting system. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), which manages NCAR, filed suit in March claiming the administration bypassed required legal procedures when it abruptly moved to transfer NCAR’s vital supercomputer center to the University of Wyoming.

NCAR is a cornerstone of American weather science, powering forecasts and models that protect millions from hurricanes, wildfires, and severe storms. Its computing resources support over 1,500 researchers from more than 500 universities, and its work is integral to agencies like NASA, NOAA, the Department of Defense, and the FAA. The lab employs over 800 scientists and staff, making it a critical national asset.

The lawsuit details a clear timeline of retaliation beginning with President Donald Trump’s public demands to free Tina Peters, a convicted Mesa County Clerk who became a right-wing cause célèbre after her arrest. On August 21, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social calling for Peters’ immediate release and threatening “harsh measures” if she remained imprisoned. He also attacked Colorado’s mail-in voting system in the same post.

Twelve days later, Trump announced the relocation of the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs, explicitly citing Colorado’s mail-in voting as a “big problem.” Despite Peters remaining behind bars, Trump issued a pardon for her state conviction—a legally baseless move since presidential pardons do not apply to state offenses—and continued to publicly pressure Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis, whom he disparaged as a “sleazebag.”

Less than a week after the failed pardon, the administration turned its sights on NCAR. Russell Vought, then director of the Office of Management and Budget, publicly declared on social media that the National Science Foundation (NSF) would “break up” NCAR, denouncing the lab as “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.” A White House spokesperson linked this action directly to Polis’s refusal to cooperate with Trump’s demands, stating, “Maybe if Colorado had a governor who actually wanted to work with President Trump, his constituents would be better served.”

The lawsuit alleges that the NSF ignored its own public comment deadline and failed to provide any performance-based justification for transferring stewardship of NCAR’s supercomputer operations to Wyoming. Key communications from February show the NSF declared the decision final weeks before the public input period closed, violating the Administrative Procedure Act. UCAR’s attorneys highlighted the “breakneck speed” of the decision-making as evidence of procedural misconduct.

The Department of Justice countered in court that no “final agency action” had occurred, arguing the lawsuit was premature and that NCAR could not represent Colorado’s interests. However, Judge R. Brooke Jackson, an Obama appointee, pointed to government documents suggesting the administration’s motives also included targeting NCAR’s climate research and diversity programs.

In a rare moment of levity amid serious accusations, Judge Jackson urged both parties to consider negotiating a settlement, famously quipping, “If the United States and Iran can negotiate a compromise on a war, it should be child’s play to negotiate a compromise on a computer in Cheyenne, Wyoming.”

As the nation watches, this case lays bare the Trump administration’s willingness to weaponize federal agencies to punish political enemies and undermine scientific institutions. The fate of NCAR—and the integrity of American weather science—hangs in the balance as the court weighs whether to block this politically charged dismantling.