On Thursday, Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows declared that former President Donald Trump was “not qualified” to be on the state’s 2024 ballot. This decision faced criticism from many Republicans, but former Republican state senator Tom Saviello came forward to not only support Bellows but also to explain his stance on advocating for Trump’s exclusion from the ballot.
Appearing on CNN on Friday, Saviello, despite having voted for Trump, asserted that Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection disqualified him from seeking office. He commended Bellows for her thoughtful decision-making process:
“The secretary of state has to determine whether the individual meets the qualifications or not before they can be on the ballot. And in this particular case, thank you, Shenna, thank you, Secretary of State, you made the decision that Donald Trump does not meet those qualifications because, according to the 14th Amendment, Section 3, he was involved in inciting an insurrection against this country and egged those people on to do what they wanted to do to the Capitol. And therefore, she’s made the decision that he is not qualified to be on our ballot.”
Saviello emphasized that Bellows’ decision was made after a well-conducted hearing where she considered various perspectives. He noted that the decision of Colorado to also exclude Trump from their ballot supported their case, ensuring Bellows wasn’t isolated in her call. Saviello defended Bellows against accusations of partisanship:
“Shenna Bellows took an oath of office to protect the Constitution. That’s just what she did when she made this decision. This young woman is a very thoughtful and thorough person. So don’t attack her partisanship, the fact that she’s a Democrat. Don’t attack that, attack what the opinion was. That’s what it should be about.”
Regarding the potential Supreme Court involvement, Saviello went further, suggesting that Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself if the case reached the highest court, citing concerns about information related to Thomas and his wife on January 6: “I think all the stuff that’s come out about him and his wife on January 6, he needs to recuse himself.”
