'Completely misguided': Former prosecutor says Trump is rejecting clear state law in Maine
January 02, 2024
Former President Donald Trump is simply not telling the truth when he says Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows "unilaterally" decided to disqualify him from the ballot under the 14th Amendment, said former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann on MSNBC Tuesday.
"By all accounts, it seems like she was following the law and Trump is saying she wasn't following the law," said anchor Jason Johnson.
"I think the procedural attack on the secretary of state is completely misguided," said Weissmann, who previously worked for special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation.
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"Let's leave aside, for the moment, whether you agree or disagree with her decision," said Weissmann. "She could have ruled the opposite way. The issue of what her authority is is absolutely clear under Maine law. The way Maine law works is that initially the decision is made by the secretary of state as to whether somebody is qualified. It's just as if they were under 35 years old. If there was a teenager running for office, the secretary of state would make a decision about whether that person should be on the ballot."
"But as the secretary of state put in her decision, she is not the last word," Weissmann continued. "She makes a decision. She then very responsibly stayed her decision and noted to the parties their appellate rights. They can appeal to the Maine courts to determine whether she has abused her discretion, whether she has abused the law in any way, and ultimately ... [they] can try to go to the United States Supreme Court. So procedurally, she did all the right things. I would note, she held a hearing, she gave both sides an opportunity to be heard, to protect witnesses, to put in exhibits, to make objections. All of that was done. So she followed the Maine law to the letter.
"To be fair, both sides could appeal the decision to the courts, and that's what we are seeing now," added Weissmann. "So it's wrong to characterize this as, oh, the secretary of state is the only person who is unilaterally making a decision. That is the way Maine has structured the initial decision. But that's not the final word."
Watch the video below or at the link here.
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