Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Philips) filed an official ethics complaint against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for failing to recuse herself from the decision on whether to bar Frmr. President Donald Trump from the ballot.
“What occurred appears to be election interference of the highest order. It would seem that Secretary Bellows did not act ethically and instead did what was best for her preferred candidate and the Democratic Party instead of the voters of the state of Maine,” said Rep. Soboleski, in a letter to the Maine Ethics Commission.
Soboleski filed his complaint on January 1st, accusing Secretary Bellows of bias in her decision to bar former President Trump from the 2024 GOP primary ballot in Maine.
[RELATED: Trump Blasts Biased Bellows, Calls for Recusal in Ballot Case…]
Soboleski said Bellows’ failure to recuse herself constituted a violation of a Maine law governing administrative bias.
In her opinion, Bellows said that she was “not bound by either the federal or Maine rules of evidence,” relying instead on the Maine Administrative Procedures Act.
Under the Maine Administrative Procedures Act, an individual, such as a presiding officer or agency member, must recuse themselves in situations involving bias or personal or financial interest, whether direct or indirect.
This requirement is detailed in Title 5, §9063 of the Act. It mandates that hearings be conducted impartially, and upon a good faith filing by a party of a charge of bias or interest against the presiding officer or agency member, that individual is required to determine the matter as part of the record.
In an interview with CNN, Bellows addressed Trump’s earlier claim that she should recuse herself by pointing out that such a request should have been made prior to the eight-hour hearing on the complaint.
Bellows “cannot be considered, by any rational standard, an impartial arbiter of the hearing that she presided over,” said Sobleski.
According to Soboleski, Bellows role as an elector for President Joe Biden in 2020 is a de facto conflict of interest that should have led Bellows to publically recuse herself from the decision.
“This is not how healthy democracies run and these potentially conspiratorial actions must be evaluated by the Maine Ethics commission,” said Soboleski.
[RELATED: “Unbiased” Bellows Cashed in on Left-Wing Mega-Donors in Failed 2014 Senate Bid…]
Soboleski’s letter requests an official hearing in front of Maine’s Ethics Commission as soon as possible, at which he will be able to give his arguments that Bellows’ violated Maine Law in her decision.
Soboleski previously filed a letter of intervention before the hearing which led to Trump’s removal from the ballot, allowing him to speak at that hearing in defense of Trump.
Careful, Seamus, that looks like a dehumanizing photo to me.
Ethics complaint ? Wow that’s teaching her not to act like a queen. Fire her taxpayers..
What’s the difference between a crafty midget and Shenna Bellows? The first is a cunning runt…..
Bellows is comparable to Kamala Harris in that her selection for the position is void of qualifications.
What about Federal Voting Rights charges? She’s denying people the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Awe, Bellows the lassie! Looks more like a heifer. Maybe there’s hope for her (assuming her pronoun). Maybe she’s a lesbian and has some hope.
I’ve lost my drive except when I’m around a lassie. It’s time to legalize cross species marriages so I can marry my dog.
Bellows is a great ally to Maine DSA (Democrat Socialists of America). She is more ethical than any boomer Republican on this website.
Suck it up buttercups.
Scotus accelerated slap down 9-0 coming soon.
Nice Gunt!!