Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers issued a letter Wednesday demanding that Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows recuse herself from her decision on Trump’s ballot eligibility.
Attorneys Benjamin Hartwell, Scott Gessler and Gary Lawkowski cited Bellows’ past statements on X, formerly Twitter, about Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“The Jan. 6 insurrection was an unlawful attempt to overthrow the results of a free and fair election,” Bellows wrote. “Today 57 Senators including King & Collins found Trump guilty. That’s short of impeachment but nevertheless an indictment. The insurrectionists failed, and democracy prevailed.”
Bellows has said she intends to announce her decision soon as to whether Trump is eligible for or disqualified from placement on Maine’s 2024 presidential primary ballot under the 14th Amendment.
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By calling the Senate vote an “indictment,” Trump’s lawyers argue in the letter that Bellows has already “exhibited a personal bias against” their client.
“The Secretary has bluntly stated that President Trump should have been impeached, and later called him an ‘insurrectionist’ who ‘failed.’ These statements address the very claims at issue in this case; indeed, the Secretary has already agreed with the Challengers’ factual claims,” the attorneys said.
“President Trump deserves a fair and impartial hearing. Both the Maine legislature and Maine courts demand that state administrative proceedings must be conducted fairly and with integrity.”
A spokesperson for Bellows’ office told Newsweek: “The Secretary is not commenting while this matter is pending.”
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
The letter from Trump’s lawyers also points to a post by Bellows on the one-year anniversary of the riot.
“One year after the violent insurrection, it’s important to do all we can to safeguard our elections,” Bellows wrote, along a repost of a news report highlighting her own efforts in Maine.
Trump’s lawyers stated in the letter: “Using similar language, the Challengers have claimed that the events of January 6, 2021, constituted a violent insurrection and that President Trump somehow poses a danger from which Maine voters must be protected. Thus, the Secretary has already passed judgment on the Challengers’ core assertions.”
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that a person who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking an oath of office to support the U.S. Constitution cannot run for office again.
Earlier Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected an appeal to have Trump disqualified from running for president in the state. In a 4-3 decision on December 19, Trump was barred by the Colorado Supreme Court from appearing on the state’s primary ballots.
Unlike other states, including Colorado and Michigan, where plaintiffs have sued over Trump’s eligibility in court, Maine’s system allows Bellows, the secretary of state, to weigh in. Bellows is considering three challenges to Trump’s ballot access. Challengers can then appeal in state court.
Maine, which splits its four electoral votes proportionally by congressional district, holds its primary on March 5, which is Super Tuesday.
President Joe Biden won three of the state’s four electoral votes in 2020, while Trump won the fourth.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.