At least one prominent Maine Republican agrees with Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ decision to remove Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot.
Former Maine state Sen. Tom Saviello thanked Bellows for what he called a thoughtful decision, in accordance with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment because “[Trump] was involved in inciting an insurrection against this country and egged those people on to do what they wanted to do to the Capitol.”
Despite having previously voted for Trump, Saviello praised Bellows, describing her efforts as necessary to uphold the Constitution.
“That’s just what she did when she made this decision,” he said.
Mediaite has more, describing Saviello’s Friday appearance on CNN:
Former Maine state senator Tom Saviello, a Republican, appeared on CNN on Friday and told anchor Erica Hill that even though he voted for Trump, his role in the January 6 insurrection disqualified him from running for office. And Bellows’ decision did not come lightly:
The secretary of state has to determine whether the individual meets the qualifications or not before they can be on the ballot. And in this particular case, thank you, Shenna, thank you, Secretary of State, you made the decision that Donald Trump does not meet those qualifications, because according to the 14th Amendment, Section 3, he was involved in inciting an insurrection against this country and egged those people on to do what they wanted to do to the Capitol. And therefore, she’s made the decision that he is not qualified to be on our ballot.
That’s the difference. And she made that in a very thoughtful manner. She ran a wonderful hearing. Whether we won or lost, she really listened to what everybody had to say and made that ultimate decision yesterday.
Saviello maintained that the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to bar Trump from the state’s ballot bolstered Bellows’ case against Trump and slammed those who called her partisan, telling Hill:
Shenna Bellows took an oath of office to protect the Constitution. That’s just what she did when she made this decision. This young woman is a very thoughtful and thorough person. So don’t attack her partisanship, the fact that she’s a Democrat. Don’t attack that, attack what the opinion was. That’s what it should be about.
Responding to the latest disqualification effort, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung derided Bellows as “a virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat who has decided to interfere in the presidential election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is still expected to make a final decision on Trump’s eligibility to run for public office under the 14th Amendment.
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