After the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that individual states do not have the authority to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on their ballots, Maine State Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris) is renewing his effort to open an impeachment inquiry into Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
All nine Justices — including liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — agreed that states do not have the power to enforce the 14th Amendment’s “Insurrection Clause” against candidates for federal office.
[RELATED: SCOTUS Unanimously Rules That States Cannot Disqualify Trump from the Ballot…]
“After the SCOTUS ruling 9-0 to protect Donald J. Trump’s equal protection to the ballot I have moved a House Order to begin again Impeachment proceedings against the Secretary of State,” Rep. Andrews said Monday in a statement to the Maine Wire.
“With willful disregard for the 14th Amendment Shenna Bellows unilaterally disenfranchised Maine voters and Candidate Trump,” Andrews said. “She must be Impeached and held accountable so that this kind of tin pot electioneering never ever occurs in the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.”
[RELATED: RFK Jr. Sues ‘Political Hack’ Shenna Bellows Over Sudden Change to Maine Petition Rules…]
The impeachment order would establish a House investigative committee to investigate “allegations of misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance and other misconduct by Secretary of State Senna Bellows” for submission to the full House in order to determine if there is cause for impeachment.
If established, the House Special Investigative Committee would be required to submit its findings and recommendations regarding the “grave and serious allegations” against Bellows in the form of a final report to the House no later than March 29, 2024.
Andrews’ order cites as evidence of Bellows’ political bias her serving as a Maine presidential elector for Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
A previous attempt by Rep. Andrews to launch an impeachment inquiry against Bellows failed by a 60-80 vote in the House on Jan. 9.
[RELATED: Effort to Open Impeachment Inquiry Into Shenna Bellows Fails…]
House Democrats speaking in opposition to the impeachment inquiry argued that Bellows was carrying out her statutory obligations as Secretary of State and should not be impeached for doing so.
Following Monday’s SCOTUS ruling, Bellows withdrew her Dec. 28 determination that Trump is disqualified from serving as president under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid,” Bellows wrote.
“I instead conclude that the Anderson decision prohibits me from finding Mr. Trump’s statement that he is qualified for the presidency to be false by operation of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” she wrote. “Mr. Trump’s primary petition is therefore valid.”
“Votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024 presidential primary election will be counted,” she concluded.
When attempting to interview Bellows at her office today, Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson had the door slammed in his face.
Reporters from the traditionally left-leaning WMTW however, were welcomed with open arms.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="26256 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=26256">7 Comments
Bellow Me ! Eat it Bellows Eat it! You useless pile of Marxist crap
Prison for every Maine Democrat who partakes in sedition and conspiracy to grasp power from their political enemies. Make an example of them.
Shenna, you shall go to the blackboard and write ” In the United States Constitution, We Trust.” a thousand times
She tried to interfere with Mainers’ right to vote. She needs to be impeached!
She obviously knows zero about law and not qualified. Even the left wing Communist Supreme’s knew it was not legit.
Wasn’t Bellows practicing law without being admitted to the bar?
Got to love the real transparency of the general Mills staff. The peoples republic of Maine has shrunk to new depths!!!