Shenna Bellows, the secretary of state of Maine, revealed a 34-page decision on Thursday that declared Donald Trump unable to run for office. This was an unexpected development. According to Bellows' decision, Trump's "primary petition is invalid" because of the insurrectionist prohibition of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheug attacked Bellows in a message to the New York Post, branding her a "hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat" and a "virulent leftist."
"Quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in a Maine from taking effect," he continued, announcing the campaign.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a presidential contender, wrote on X, saying, "This is what a *actual* threat to democracy looks like."
"I stand by my prior pledge to *withdraw* from any state's ballot that eventually removes Trump from its ballot," Ramaswamy continued.
"I urge DeSantis, Christie, and Haley to follow suit, since failing to do so would be tantamount to their implicit support of this blatant and unlawful electoral meddling in the GOP primary. The Democrats aren't the only ones affected by this disease in American politics," he said.
Bellows took her duty "extremely seriously" and stated in the verdict that she "carefully considered the arguments proffered by the parties" in the case.
Bellows stated in the judgment that "the applicability of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment does not turn on whether an office-seeker has been convicted of a crime." This was part of his reasoning for the verdict.
All Bellows had to do, according to her, was "assess the record before [her] and make a determination based on the preponderance of the evidence" regarding Trump's involvement in rebellion. This comes after efforts to remove Trump from the ballot earlier this month in other states, as well as the recent decision in Colorado to do the same.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheug attacked Bellows in a message to the New York Post, branding her a "hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat" and a "virulent leftist."
"Quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in a Maine from taking effect," he continued, announcing the campaign.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a presidential contender, wrote on X, saying, "This is what a *actual* threat to democracy looks like."
"I stand by my prior pledge to *withdraw* from any state's ballot that eventually removes Trump from its ballot," Ramaswamy continued.
"I urge DeSantis, Christie, and Haley to follow suit, since failing to do so would be tantamount to their implicit support of this blatant and unlawful electoral meddling in the GOP primary. The Democrats aren't the only ones affected by this disease in American politics," he said.
Bellows took her duty "extremely seriously" and stated in the verdict that she "carefully considered the arguments proffered by the parties" in the case.
Bellows stated in the judgment that "the applicability of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment does not turn on whether an office-seeker has been convicted of a crime." This was part of his reasoning for the verdict.
All Bellows had to do, according to her, was "assess the record before [her] and make a determination based on the preponderance of the evidence" regarding Trump's involvement in rebellion. This comes after efforts to remove Trump from the ballot earlier this month in other states, as well as the recent decision in Colorado to do the same.
