The US state of Maine barred former President Donald Trump from the Republican presidential primary, becoming the second state to disqualify him for his role in the January 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Maine's top election official, Secretary of State Shena Bellows, said in her ruling that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, "occurred at the behest, with the knowledge and support of the outgoing president."
"The U.S. Constitution does not tolerate encroachment on the foundations of our government, and (the Maine law) requires me to act in response," said the ruling, which was issued in response to challenges filed by a handful of Maine voters.
Maine joins Colorado, where earlier this month the state Supreme Court found Trump ineligible for president — moves that are sure to be challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The rulings in both states cited the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which barred anyone from holding office who had previously sworn to defend the country and subsequently engaged in rebellion.
"I do not come to this conclusion lightly," Bellows, a Democrat, wrote. "I mean, no secretary of state has denied a presidential candidate access to the ballot based on section three of the 14th amendment. But I'm also aware that no presidential candidate has participated in an insurrection."
Trump's campaign quickly denounced Bellows' decision as "an attempt to steal an election and disenfranchise the American voter" and called her a "vicious leftist and hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat."
"This effort to partisan interference in the election is a hostile assault on American democracy," Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chung said, accusing President Joe Biden and Democrats of "relying on the power of state institutions to protect their grip on power.".
Chung said Trump would appeal the decision.
Fellow Republicans have come out in defense of Trump, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is also seeking the party's nomination.
"This opens Pandora's box. Can the Republican Secretary of State disqualify Biden from the ballot?" he asked./BGNES
