Maine’s Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, who belongs to the Democratic Party, has issued a ruling to prevent President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s primary election ballot in 2024. Bellows, like other Democrats, is asserting that Trump is “ineligible” under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Maine is one of several states led by Democrats that are facing challenges regarding Trump’s eligibility to be on the ballot, based on the conspiracy theory that he incited the January 6 “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
Democrats argue that Trump, who is considered a frontrunner for the 2024 election, should be disqualified from holding public office again due to the “insurrection and rebellion” clause in the 14th Amendment. However, there is no evidence of an “insurrection” on January 6, 2021, and Trump has not been convicted of any crimes related to the events. Despite this, Bellows is using this false narrative as a justification to interfere in the 2024 presidential election by preventing Maine residents from voting for the greatest threat to Democrat President Joe Biden.
Unlike in other states where these challenges are being addressed in the courts, Maine’s Secretary of State has the authority to make a decision on such claims before they can be appealed and handled in court. Trump’s campaign, citing Bellows’ biased statements on the matter, is now demanding that she be disqualified from making a decision regarding the eligibility of the 45th president’s ballot, as reported by The Hill.
Furthermore, Trump’s legal team has taken the additional step of sending a formal letter to the secretary, reminding her of her legal obligation under Maine law to recuse herself from the matter. This is in addition to their campaign statement calling for Bellows’ disqualification. The Trump campaign has expressed their lack of trust in Sec.
Bellows regarding this issue. It is worth noting that Sec. Bellows has previously referred to the Jan. 6 Capitol protest as an “insurrection” and has made her bias against Trump evident through her social media posts.
“Today, President Trump’s legal team issued a request to the Maine Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, to disqualify herself from ruling on his ballot eligibility,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.
“The Secretary is a completely biased Democrat partisan and a Biden supporter who is incapable of making a fair decision and allowing the people of Maine the right to vote for the candidate of their choosing.”
“Any attempt to remove President Trump’s name from the ballot is blatant election interference,” the statement continued.
“It is unconstitutional, unAmerican, and wrong.”
“Sec. Bellows’s social media history displays a deep disdain for President Trump and betrays a level of personal animus and bias so deep that she is rendered incapable of allowing a fair hearing of this pressing matter,” the campaign added.
“Partisan, Biden-supporting Democrats cannot be allowed to erase his name from the ballot, as doing so would be a disgrace to the Constitution and a complete and total disregard for the civil rights of millions of American voters.”
Trump’s attorney wrote:
“President Trump requests that the Secretary disqualify herself from this matter because she has already concluded that President Trump engaged in insurrection — a determination that she made well before the submission of evidence or argument in this current matter.
“Because the Secretary has exhibited a personal bias in this matter, she should disqualify herself from further proceedings.”
Bellows’ letter emphasized three specific statements. The initial two were released on the day Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial, while the third statement was issued on the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In this statement, Bellows referred to the event as an “insurrection.” Additionally, she conveyed her conviction that Trump should have faced consequences for his alleged involvement in the incident.
“Using similar language, the Challengers have claimed that the events of January 6, 2021, constituted a violent insurrection and that President Trump somehow poses a danger from which Maine voters must be protected,” the attorneys wrote.
“Thus, the Secretary has already passed judgment on the Challengers’ core assertions.
“Furthermore, by calling the impeachment proceedings and Senate vote an ‘indictment’ of President Trump, the Secretary has exhibited a personal bias against him,” they continued.
“The Secretary has bluntly stated that President Trump should have been impeached, and later called him an ‘insurrectionist’ who ‘failed.’
“These statements address the very claims at issue in this case; indeed, the Secretary has already agreed with the Challengers’ factual claims.”
After citing the relevant Maine laws that seemingly require Bellows’ recusal, the letter concluded:
“For these reasons, President Trump asks that the Secretary: (1) disqualify herself from rendering judgment in this matter; (2) appoint an unbiased, impartial hearing officer; and (3) transfer the matter to the appointed hearing officer.”
