A Republican Maine state lawmaker wants to impeach the Maine secretary of state who removed former President Donald Trump from the primary vote.
Republican state Rep. John Andrews said he wants to file impeachment against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows after she disqualified Trump from the 2024 Republican primary on Thursday.
In his ruling, Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits those “who participate in insurrection” from holding public office.
Andrews said in a statement that he filed a request with the Maine Auditor’s Office saying he wanted to “file a Joint Order, or whatever the appropriate parliamentary mechanism is under the Mason Rules, to impeach Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.”
“In Maine, the people do not elect the Secretary of State, the Attorney General or the Treasurer,” Andrews told Fox News Digital. “They are chosen by elected members of the Democratic Party after deals are made in the backroom of the House of Representatives.”
“Shenna Bellows knows that the process that got her there is extremely partisan,” he continued. “She should know better and do everything she can to be as neutral as possible to serve all Maine citizens and not just registered Democrats.”
Maine Republican Rep. John Andrews said he wants to launch an impeachment trial against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“That is why she swore an oath to the Constitution and not to the Democratic Party,” he added. “We are still a republic, but moves like this fracture that foundation, which is ultimately the goal of all of this.”
Andrews said in his statement that he wants to impeach Bellows “on the basis that she is barring a U.S. citizen and [the] 45th President of the United States, who has not been convicted of any crime or impeachment, his right to appear on the Maine Republican Party ballot in March.”
“Donald J. Trump has met all the requirements for the March 2024 Republican presidential primary. He should be allowed to be on the ballot. “This is pure partisanship and has no place in the offices of our state’s Constitutional Officers,” he continued.
Andrews’ press release highlighted a post he made on social media, saying Bellows’ decision “is hyperpartisanship on full display.”
Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution in his ruling barring Trump from participating in the election. AP
“A Secretary of State APPOINTED by legislative Democrats removes President Trump from the 2024 ballot so he can compete for a seat in the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary,” Andrews said. “Banana Republic is not just a store in the mall.”
Andrews said Friday in a “FOX & Friends” interview that Bellows “has unilaterally disenfranchised 300,060 Maine voters with this partisan action.”
He also applauded U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, for speaking out against Bellows’ measure, despite his distaste for Trump.
Golden harshly criticized Bellows for the move, saying he “voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 insurrection.”
Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Iowa. REUTERS
“I don’t think 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 found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he must be allowed to participate in the elections.”
Maine’s secretary of state defended her move while responding to Golden’s criticism during a CNN interview on Friday.
“I reviewed Section Three of the 14th Amendment very carefully and determined that Section Three of the 14th Amendment does not say ‘conviction,’ but rather ‘commitment,’” Bellows said.
“And let’s go back and keep in mind that the events of January 6, 2021 were unprecedented and tragic,” Bellows continued. “This was an attack, not only on the Capitol and government officials, on the former vice president, on members of Congress, but an attack on the rule of law.”
Maine is the second state where Trump’s status in the primary election is in question. AFP via Getty Images
“And the weight of the evidence that I reviewed indicated that, in fact, this was an insurrection,” he added. “And Mr. Trump participated in that insurrection under Section Three of the 14th Amendment.”
In a shocking decision issued Thursday night, Bellows said Trump was ineligible for the state’s 2024 primary election, citing a clause in the U.S. Constitution that prohibits people who have “participated in insurrection.” run for elected office without the approval of two-thirds of Congress.
The clause was originally intended to prohibit former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the United States government or military.
This was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 ruling last week that similarly barred Trump from that state’s primary election. The decision was challenged by the Colorado Republican Party, launching a battle before the United States Supreme Court.
Bellows’ office declined to comment.
Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
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