AFP Former American President Trump at a campaign rally
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:51
In the American state of Maine, former President Trump has so far been excluded from the Republican primaries in the state. At least that was decided by the highest official overseeing elections in the state of Maine, Democrat Shenna Bellows. She states that Trump can never become president again under American law, due to his role in the Capitol storming on January 6, 2021.
The development in Maine follows closely on the heels of a similar move in Colorado. There, that state’s Supreme Court ruled that Trump “disqualified” himself from the presidency by his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In both Colorado and Maine, the last word has not yet been said on Trump’s disqualification. In both cases, the decision has been temporarily stayed, pending the decision of a higher court. In Colorado this is up to the US Supreme Court, in Maine to a higher court in the state itself, but it is expected that here too the case will ultimately be settled in the US Supreme Court.
Eyes on the Supreme Court
The Democratic official is now banning Trump on the basis of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution. That part of the amendment dates from the period immediately after the American Civil War (1861-1865). The section was created to prevent Confederate government officials who swore an oath to the Constitution from ever holding public office again after their attempt to secede from the US.
The use of this part of the constitution is not without controversy. Never before has a presidential candidate been barred from a ballot in this way, and the U.S. Supreme Court has never had to rule on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is therefore highly questionable how sustainable Trump’s disqualification is.
As long as that uncertainty remains, eyes will be on the U.S. Supreme Court. A ruling by the US highest court may clarify what exactly states can do with the section of the Fourteenth Amendment. Bellows also acknowledges in her explanation that the Supreme Court will likely have the final say, but says she sees this exclusion as part of her official duty.
Trump: Elections are being stolen
“I do not take this decision lightly,” Bellows wrote in a statement. She describes how it has never happened before that someone in her role has banned a president from a ballot. “But I am also aware that no presidential candidate has ever been part of an insurrection.” She says her political preference plays no role in the move.
Trump’s campaign team clearly sees this differently and is lashing out hard at the Democratic official. In a statement, Trump’s campaign team called her a left-wing “hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat who has decided to influence the presidential election in favor of the devious Joe Biden.”
“We see here in real-time how efforts are being made to steal the election and exclude American voters,” the statement continued. “Make no mistake: these partisan influence attempts are an attack on American democracy. Biden and the Democrats simply do not trust the American voter with a free and fair election. They are now trying to protect their hold on power with the power of government institutions.”
Also Democratic criticism
There is also fierce criticism from Republicans in Maine. The leader of the state’s House of Representatives, Billy Bob Faulkingham, called it “a hypocritical decision reminiscent of Third World dictatorships.”
The Republicans say they will appeal the decision and suggest that, if necessary, they will vote on their presidential candidate as a private organization, which they say will not be affected by these types of decisions.
Although Bellows receives more support from Democrats, they also express concerns. For example, they point out that Trump has never been convicted of involvement in an insurrection. “I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 insurrection and I do not believe he should be re-elected as president. But we are a constitutional state, so he should be on the ballot until he is guilty found to have committed an insurrection,” Democratic House of Representatives member Jared Golden denounced the decision in Maine.
2023-12-29 02:51:38
#Maine #bans #Trump #primary #election #ballot #eyes #Supreme #Court
