USA - Ex-president defends himself: Donald Trump takes action against exclusion from Maine primary election
Former US President Donald Trump is taking legal action against attempts to exclude him from the Republican presidential primary in individual states.
Trump's lawyers filed an appeal with a court in the state of Maine against the decision of the chief election supervisor there that the Republican had disqualified himself for the office of president with his behavior in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 and could therefore not be admitted to the primary election.
It is expected that Trump will also appeal against a similar decision by the Supreme Court in the state of Colorado. In the end, the US Supreme Court is likely to have to resolve the thorny issue.
Storming of the Capitol reverberates
The background to this is the unprecedented attack on the US parliamentary seat almost exactly three years ago: Trump's supporters had violently stormed the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress had convened there to formally confirm the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump had previously incited his supporters during a speech by claiming that his election victory had been stolen from him through massive fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots at the time. Trump has to stand trial for attempted electoral fraud due to his actions surrounding the vote.
Based on these events, various plaintiffs in different US states have also been trying for some time to have Trump's name removed from the ballot papers for the presidential primaries. Anyone who wants to run as a presidential candidate for the Republicans or Democrats in the USA must first prevail in internal party primaries. In states such as Michigan and Minnesota, plaintiffs have failed in their attempts to remove Trump from the primary race. Decisions are still pending in other states. In Maine and Colorado, however, decisions were made against Trump.
In Colorado, the state's Supreme Court ruled a few days ago that the Republican was ineligible for the presidency due to his role in the storming of the Capitol and therefore could not take part in the primary. In Maine, it was not a court but the Secretary of State responsible for elections, Shenna Bellows, who came to the same conclusion shortly afterwards.
Trump's lawyers have now lodged a formal objection to her decision. They argued, among other things, that Bellows was biased and had no legal authority to make such a decision. They argued that the decision was based on errors and was arbitrary.
Donald Trump appeals - but does not have much time
Bellows had suspended her decision for the time being in anticipation of Trump's appeal. The same applies to Colorado. The two decisions therefore have no consequences for the time being, as long as the appeal process is ongoing and no final clarification is available.
In Colorado, the American Center for Law and Justice had already filed an appeal against the court's decision on behalf of the state's Republican Party. A further appeal in Colorado is expected from Trump himself. This means that the Supreme Court will probably ultimately have to decide the issue.
But time is pressing. The Republican primaries begin on January 15 with the first vote in the state of Iowa. The Republican primaries in Colorado and Maine are scheduled for March 5, the so-called Super Tuesday, when voting will take place in a whole series of US states. However, the ballot papers will be printed some time in advance.
Trump wants to run again for the Republicans in the presidential election in November, and in the polls he has so far led the field of Republican candidates by a wide margin. Biden wants to run for a second term in office for the Democrats. He has no serious internal competition.
In addition to the legal dispute over his participation in the primaries, Trump is also facing several major court cases in the coming months over various criminal charges - including the Capitol Storm and his attempts to retroactively reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
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- Despite plans to appeal, former US President Donald Trump faces exclusion from the Republican presidential primary in Maine and Colorado, due to his role in the Capitol storming incident in 2021.
- The legal action against Trump's disqualification from the Maine primary election was filed by his lawyers with the state's court, citing bias and lack of authority in the decision made by the Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows.
- Joe Biden, the current US President, is anticipated to run for a second term, while Trump continues to lead the field of Republican candidates in polls for the 2022 Presidential election.
- In the aftermath of the Capitol storming, various plaintiffs in different US states have attempted to remove Trump's name from the presidential primary ballots, alleging his behavior as grounds for disqualification.
- In Colorado, the state Supreme Court ruled that Trump was ineligible to participate in the primary due to his involvement in the Capitol storming, leading to the American Center for Law and Justice filing an appeal on behalf of the state's Republican Party.
- Election officials in Washington state have ruled against Trump's campaign's effort to be included in the Washington primary, marking yet another setback for the former President's bid to secure a place on the ballot.
- The Justice Department has promised a full and fair investigation into the Capitol storming incident and its aftermath, with the Supreme Court of the United States likely to play a decisive role in resolving the ongoing legal disputes surrounding Trump's participation in the primary elections.
Source: www.stern.de
