Derision continues to pour in over Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ inexplicable decision to block former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot. And some of it is from fellow leftists.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) blasted the controversial ruling while noting he voted to impeach the 45th president over Jan. 6. He further declared that he does not believe that Trump should get a second term in office, though that decision is up to voters.
Golden explained in a statement, “We are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.”
The unelected Bellows claimed her decision was grounded in “the falsity of Mr. Trump’s declaration that he meets the qualifications of the office of the presidency.”
She then suspended her ruling’s enforcement until the U.S. Supreme Court heard the certain appeal.
My statement on the Maine Secretary of State's ruling: pic.twitter.com/ByO3XJe1JS
— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) December 29, 2023
Another dissenting voice came from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who is far from a Trump supporter. Still, she said “Maine voters should decide who wins the election — not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature.
Collins continued, noting that stripping Trump from the ballot “would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) took Bellows to task for her incorrect application of the Constitution. He believes she “ignores the fact that, for the purposes of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, Trump was not ‘an officer of the United States.’”
Therefore, even if he engaged in insurrection — and Lee insisted the former president did not — he could not be excluded from the ballot.
Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) drafted legislation to prohibit federal funds for states that use the 14th Amendment as an excuse to block political candidates. He said he will introduce his bill when Congress reconvenes.
Tillis posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the Maine decision “is an egregious abuse of power.” He added that his legislation would “stop these partisan officials and ensure any constitutional challenge is only decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
If the high court was ever needed to restore sanity to an insane situation, that time is now.
