WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump is appealing the decision in the US state of Maine to exclude him from the local primary for the Republican presidential candidacy, reported German news agency (dpa).
Trump’s lawyers filed a formal objection with a court in Maine on Tuesday against the decision of the state’s chief election supervisor. The northeastern state said Trump had disqualified himself for the office of president with his behaviour in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.
It argues that the Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is responsible for elections, is biased and has no legal authority to make such a decision.
Bellows made her decision public last week, but suspended it for the time being in anticipation of Trump’s appeal.
Trump is facing a similar challenge in the state of Colorado. The state Supreme Court decided he could not appear on the primary ballot there due to his role in the violence in January 2021. The American Centre for Law and Justice appealed the decision of behalf of Trump.
Trump’s supporters violently stormed the US Capitol building in Washington on Jan 6, 2021, following a speech given by the then president. Congress had convened there to formally confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The violence left five people dead. Trump must stand trial for attempted electoral fraud due to his actions surrounding the vote. – BERNAMA-dpa
