In his ruling, Bellows cited Article 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, which prohibits those who “have participated in an insurrection” from holding public office.
Andrews said in a statement that he filed a petition with the Maine Reviser’s Office, saying he needs to “file a joint order, or other appropriate parliamentary mechanism under Mason’s rules, to remove Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “
MAINE HOUSE DEMOCRAT TEARS UP STATE’S DECISION TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM THE BALLOT
Maine GOP Rep. John Andrews said he wants to pursue impeachment against Secretary of State Shenna Bellows after she removed former President Donald Trump from the Republican primary ballot on Thursday. (Screenshot/FOX and Friends) (Fox News)
“In Maine, the others don’t pick the secretary of state, the attorney general or the treasurer,” Andrews told Fox News Digital. “They are selected through elected representatives of the Democratic Party after agreements were reached in the back room of the House of Representatives. “
“Shenna Bellows knows that the process that put her there is extremely partisan,” he continued. “She should know better and be going out of her way to be as neutral as possible to serve every citizen in Maine and not just registered Democrats.”
“That’s why he swore an oath to the Constitution and not to the Democratic Party,” he added. “We’re still a republic, but we’re moving like this to break its foundations, which is ultimately the goal. “everything. “
Andrews said in his letter that he sought to impeach Bellows “on the basis that she prohibits a U. S. citizen and the 45th president of the United States, who is not convicted of any crime or impeachment, from appearing before a Republican court in Maine. Party vote in March.
Andrews asserted that the United States is “a republic” and that “Maine is made up of citizens, subjects, in the Duchy of Shenna Bellows. “(Gordon Chibroski)
“Donald J. Trump has met all 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 offices of our state’s Constitutional Officers,” he continued.
Andrews’ press release noted a social media post he made, saying Bellows’ decision “is hyper-partisanship on full display.”
“A secretary of state APPOINTED through Democratic lawmakers is preventing President Trump from running in the 2024 election so he can run for the number one Democratic governor in 2026,” Andrews said. “Banana Republic is just a store in a mall. “
Andrews Friday in an interview with “FOX”
He praised U. S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, for voicing his opposition to Bellows’ decision, despite his distaste for Trump.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, is observed at a House Armed Services Committee hearing at the Rayburn Building in Washington, D. C. , on March 6, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Golden criticized Bellows for the decision: “He voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. “
“I don’t deserve to be re-elected president of the United States,” Golden said Thursday afternoon. “However, we are a country of laws, so until he is truly found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he deserves to be allowed to participate in the elections. “
The Maine 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,’ it says ‘engage,'” 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 the government officials, the former vice president, members of Congress, but an attack on the rule of law.”
“And the weight of evidence that I reviewed indicated that it was, in fact, an insurrection,” she added. “And Mr. Trump engaged in that insurrection under Section Three of the 14th Amendment.”
In a shock decision issued Thursday evening, Bellows said Trump was ineligible for the state’s 2024 primary ballot, citing a clause in the U.S. Constitution that bars people who have “engaged in insurrection” from running for elected office without two-thirds congressional approval.
The clause was originally intended to prohibit former Confederate soldiers and infantry officers from holding positions in the U. S. government or military.
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It was also addressed through Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 resolution last week, excluding Trump from that state’s No. 1 vote. The ruling was challenged through the Colorado Republican Party, which filed a lawsuit with the U. S. Supreme Court.
Bellows’ office declined to comment.
Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
Houston Keene is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @HoustonKeene