OAN’s Daniel Baldwin
2:50 PM – Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Former President Donald Trump has appealed a ruling by Maine’s Democrat secretary of state that has disqualified him from running for office in the state.
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Shenna Bellows alleged that Trump engaged in an insurrection on January 6th, 2021, thereby disqualifying him from the ballot.
“President Trump is aggrieved by that final order because: (1) the Secretary was a biased decisionmaker who should have recused herself and otherwise failed to provide law due process; (2) the Secretary had no legal authority under 21-A MRS. §§ 336 or 337or any other Maine statute to consider the federal constitutional issues presented by the Challengers; (3) the Secretary made multiple errors of law and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner; and (4) President Trump will be illegally excluded from the ballot as a result of the Secretary’s actions,” the appeal read.
Bellows became the first secretary of state to bar a candidate from seeking office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The Trump legal team argues that Bellows had neither the power nor jurisdiction to make such a decision.
“Relief is sought on the grounds that the Secretary’s Ruling was the product of a process infected by bias and pervasive lack of due process; is arbitrary, capricious, and characterized by abuse of discretion; affected by error of law; ultra vires; and unsupported by substantial evidence on the record,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.
Trump’s legal team had requested that Bellows recuse herself from making this decision, citing past statements of hers on X, formerly known as Twitter, regarding Trump’s alleged role on January 6th.
“One year after the violent insurrection, it’s important to do all we can to safeguard our elections,” Bellows wrote in 2022.
Bellows had issued a self-stay on her ruling until the Maine Superior Court issued a ruling on the matter.
Trump’s attorneys are also expected to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to bar him from the ballot in that state as well.
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