A Maine Republican state lawmaker wants to impeach the Maine secretary of state who removed former President Donald Trump from the primary vote.
GOP State Rep. John Andrews said he wants to pursue the impeachment of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows after she disqualified Trump from the 2024 Republican primary ballot on Thursday.
In his ruling, Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which bars those “engaged in rebellion” from office.
Andrews said in a statement that she filed a request with the Maine Comptroller’s Office saying she wants to “file a Joint Order, or any proper parliamentary mechanism under Mason’s Rule, to remove Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.”
“In Maine, the people don’t elect the Secretary of State, the Attorney General or the Treasurer,” Andrews told Fox News Digital. “They were elected by people in the Democratic Party who were elected after a deal was made in the back room of the Senate.”
“Shenna Bellows knows that the process that put her there is very partisan,” he continued. “He should have known better and worked hard to be as neutral as possible to serve every citizen in Maine and not just registered Democrats.”
Rep. Maine GOP John Andrews says he wants to pursue the impeachment of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“That’s why he swore to the Constitution and not the Democratic Party,” he added. “We’re still a republic, but moving like that fundamental crack, which is ultimately the point of all this.”
Andrews said in his statement that he wanted to prosecute Bellows “on the grounds that he obstructed American citizens and [the] The 45th President of the United States, convicted of no crime or impeachment, their right to appear on the Maine Republican Party ballot in March.”
“Donald J. Trump has met all the qualifications for the March 2024 Republican Presidential Primary. He should be allowed on the ballot. This is raw partisanship and has no place in the office of our state Constitutional Officer,” he continued.
Andrews’ press release noted a social media post he made, saying Bellows’ decision “is hyper-partisan on full display.”
Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution in his ruling barring Trump from the ballot. AP
“A Secretary of State APPOINTED by legislative Democrats is barring President Trump from the 2024 ballot so he can run in the 2026 Democratic Primary for Governor,” Andrews said. “Banana Republic is not just a store in a mall.”
Andrews said Friday in a “FOX & Friends” interview that Bellows “has unilaterally disenfranchised 300,060 Maine voters with this partisan move.”
He also praised US Representative Jared Golden, a Maine Democrat, for speaking out against Bellows’ actions, despite his dislike of Trump.
Golden slammed Bellows for the action, saying that he “voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 Uprising.”
Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Iowa. Reuters
“I don’t believe he should be re-elected President of the United States,” Golden said Thursday night. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of rebellion, he should be allowed on the ballot.”
Maine’s secretary of state defended his actions while responding to Golden’s criticism during a CNN interview on Friday.
“I carefully reviewed Section Three of the 14th Amendment and determined that Section Three of the 14th Amendment doesn’t say ‘conviction,’ it says ‘involved,'” Bellows said.
“And, let’s go back and remember that the events of January 6, 2021, were unprecedented and tragic,” continued Bellows. “This is an attack, not only on the Capitol and government officials, former vice presidents, members of Congress, but an attack on the rule of law.”
Maine is the second state where Trump’s status on the primary ballot has been called into question. AFP via Getty Images
“And the weight of the evidence that I’ve reviewed shows that it was, in fact, a rebellion,” he added. “And Mr. Trump is complicit in that rebellion under Section Three of the 14th Amendment.”
In a surprise ruling issued Thursday evening, Bellows said Trump was ineligible for the 2024 state primary vote, citing a clause in the US Constitution that bars people “engaged in rebellion” from running for elected office without the approval of two-thirds of congress.
The clause was originally intended to prevent former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the US government or military.
It was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 decision last week that also barred Trump from the state’s primary ballot. The decision was challenged by the Colorado GOP, setting up a battle before the US Supreme Court.
Bellows’ office declined to comment.
Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
