Top House lawmakers received a classified briefing on Thursday from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Homeland Security</a> and the Drug Enforcement Agency on the proliferation of illegal Chinese-backed marijuana farms across the United States.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), who heads up the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, and Rep. Clay Higgins, who leads the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, alongside other committee members, received the briefing from the DHS, DEA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a committee spokesman told The Daily Wire.
According to the spokesman, the briefing focused on “the recent trend in illicit marijuana grow operations within the homeland by People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals,” as well as how federal “entities are working to combat the issue.”
In the last several years, Chinese-backed marijuana operations have cropped up across the United States, including major drug busts in New Mexico and <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2023/11/triad-weed-illegal-chinese-marijuana-grows-are-all-over-maine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a>. In Maine alone, Border Patrol has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-chinese-marijuana-grow-operations-worth-billions-cropping-up-in-maine-border-patrol-memo">reportedly</a> identified at least 270 illegal marijuana grow operations throughout the state that are worth billions of dollars.
In November, a suspected Chinese national <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-suspect-massive-church-marijuana-operation-was-run-by-chinese-foreign-national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was arrested</a> in rural Tennessee for allegedly operating a large marijuana growing operation out of an old church. A Daily Wire request for the police report on the arrest was denied due to an ongoing investigation into the operation.
“The Committee continues to conduct oversight of the federal government’s response to the worrying trend of illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms,” the spokesman added. “Many of these operations work in conjunction with transnational criminal organizations, engage in human trafficking and force labor practices, and pose serious threats to public safety. The Committee is committed to combating the threats posed by transnational criminal organizations and countering the malign influence of the PRC on U.S. soil.”
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The briefing comes after House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN), Pfluger, and Higgins <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-republicans-investigating-spread-of-chinese-backed-marijuana-farms-in-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested a briefing</a> from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a letter first reported on by The Daily Wire.
“Illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms have been found across the country and pose significant risks to our nation’s security,” the lawmakers wrote. “In addition, Chinese investors have financed some of these illegal operations, and these investments include cash payment for large swaths of land to conduct these operations.”

Beautiful green leaves of marijuana close up

‘Worrying’: Top Lawmakers Receive Classified Briefing On Spread Of Chinese-Backed Marijuana Farms In United States

Communist China

Department of Homeland Security

General

Maine

Marijuana

U.S.

The local sheriff&#8217;s office could have taken the gunman who carried out a deadly shooting in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> last fall into custody before the shooting happened, a review of the incident has found.
A commission reviewing the events around the October 25 shooting, which left 18 people dead in Lewiston, Maine, concluded that local law enforcement could have taken the shooter into protective custody and seized his weapons prior to the shooting.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office &#8220;had probable cause to believe that [the shooter] posed a likelihood of serious harm,&#8221; the seven-member commission said in its preliminary <a href="https://www.maine.gov/icl/sites/maine.gov.icl/files/2024-03/Commission%20Interim%20Report%203-15-24.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> released on Friday.
The commission said it found unanimously that the sheriff&#8217;s office had &#8220;sufficient probable cause to take [the shooter] into protective custody under Maine’s Yellow Flag law and to remove his firearms and that the SCSO had probable cause to believe that [he] posed a likelihood of serious harm.&#8221;
Maine&#8217;s yellow flag law allows police to strip weapons from people who are deemed to pose a risk.
Before the shooting, the shooter, an army reservist, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/us/maine-shooting-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> behaved increasingly erratically and was paranoid and believed strangers were calling him a pedophile. He was sent for a mental health evaluation by his Army Reserve colleagues and supervisors last summer. Family members raised concerns as well. However, attempts to take away his firearms were not successful.
He was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound two days after his deadly rampage.
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The shooter &#8220;is solely responsible for his own conduct, and he may have committed a mass shooting even if the guns he possessed in September 2023 were removed from his house,” the report stated. “Nevertheless, there were several opportunities that, if taken, may have changed the course of events.”
The report points the finger specifically at Sergeant Aaron Skolfield, who responded to a report that the shooter was suffering from some sort of mental health crisis and had recently assaulted a friend.
Skolfield &#8220;should have realized that he had probable cause to start the Yellow Flag process&#8221; for the shooter, but instead he made &#8220;limited attempts&#8221; to get an in-person meeting with him, failed to consult a previous complaint about the shooter, failed to contact the individual who was assaulted by him and had heard him threaten to shoot up the Saco Armory, and failed to ask for help from prosecutors or other law enforcement agencies.
The mass shooting was the deadliest in Maine&#8217;s history.

US-CRIME-SHOOTING

Sheriff Had Cause To Take Maine Shooter Into Custody Beforehand, Review Finds

Crime

Police

Shooting

A group of 16 Republican attorneys general led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti signed a letter warning the state of Maine not to pursue a controversial piece of legislation that would enshrine the state as a sanctuary state for child sex change interventions.
The <a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2024/pr24-26MaineLetter.pdf">letter</a> to Governor Janet Mills (D-ME), Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, the president of the state Senate, and speaker of the state House addressed a piece of legislation called LD 227, condemning it as unconstitutional. The law would shield medical providers who assist with sex change attempts from lawsuits, openly protect against “out-of-state laws that ban or restrict care that is legal in Maine,” and strip parents of legal recourse if their child traveled to Maine for sex change interventions.
“While it is extremely unusual for States to interject themselves into another State’s lawmaking, LD 227’s unique constitutional transgressions merit our comment,” the letter explains before noting that the legislation “seeks to contravene the lawful policy choices of our States’ citizens by imposing on the rest of the country Maine’s views on hotly debated issues such as gender transition surgeries for children. The law’s far-reaching provisions are unprecedented.”
The letter specifically contends that the legislation “violates the United States Constitution and flouts the federalist structure that allows each of our States to engage in self-government responsive to the will of our citizens.” It outlines the specific legal precedents that the legislation violates before adding that “the federal Constitution, in short, precludes Maine’s novel effort at state-sanctioned culture war litigation tourism.”
&#8220;Maine has every right to decide what Maine’s laws are and how those laws should be enforced,” the letter stated.“But that same right applies to every State. One State cannot control another. The totalitarian impulse to stifle dissent and oppress dissenters has no place in our shared America.&#8221;
&#8220;If Maine pursues LD 227’s constitutionally defective approach, we will vigorously avail ourselves of every recourse our Constitution provides,&#8221; the Republican attorneys general warned.
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Skrmetti who was joined by the attorneys general of Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia.

Medical Tools

Republican Attorneys General Warn Maine Not To Pursue Child Sex Change Sanctuary Bill

Politics

Social Issues

Tennessee

Transgender

transgender surgery

The man who killed 18 people in Maine late last year had significant brain damage that likely played a role in his shooting rampage, according to experts who have analyzed his brain post-mortem.
The man, who The Daily Wire is not naming due to company policy about not giving notoriety to mass killers, had brain damage that is consistent with what experts see in military veterans who have had prolonged exposure to explosive blasts.
The man was a U.S. Army reservist and a longtime instructor at an Army hand grenade training range where he was exposed to more than 10,000 grenade blasts, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/us/maine-shooting-brain-injury.html?unlocked_article_code=1.a00.RX0e.C6D3KZi-6yUO&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare">report</a> from The New York Times.
The Maine Chief Medical Examiner’s office requested the Boston University CTE Center conduct the post-mortem study of the man’s brain.
“[The man] had evidence of traumatic brain injury,&#8221; <a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/news/press-release/family-of-Robert-Card-II-releases-findings-of-his-brain-tissue-analysis-in-effort-to-prevent-future-tragedies">said</a> Doctor Ann McKee. &#8220;In the white matter, the nerve fibers that allow for communication between different areas of the brain, there was significant degeneration, axonal and myelin loss, inflammation, and small blood vessel injury. There was no evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).&#8221;
&#8220;These findings align with our previous studies on the effects of blast injury in humans and experimental models,&#8221; she added. &#8220;While I cannot say with certainty that these pathological findings underlie [his] behavioral changes in the last 10 months of life, based on our previous work, brain injury likely played a role in his symptoms.&#8221;
The man began losing his hearing in 2022 and, with it, reportedly developed a hot temper. He started to lose weight rapidly and believed that people at places he liked to go to were talking about him behind his back and calling him a pedophile.
The family said in a statement that was published by the Concussion Legacy Foundation that they were &#8220;deeply sorry and heartbroken&#8221; for the victims and their families. The family said that the results from the test are not &#8220;an excuse for the horrific suffering he caused, but we thank Dr. McKee for helping us understand his brain damage and how it may have impacted his mental health and behavior.&#8221;
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&#8220;By releasing these findings, we hope to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury among military service members, and we encourage more research and support for military service members with traumatic brain injuries,&#8221; they added.

Mass Shooting in Lewiston, Maine

Maine Mass Shooter Had ‘Significant’ Brain Damage ‘Likely’ Caused From Exposure To Over 10,000 Grenade Blasts: Reports

Mass Shooting

Medical Research

Votes cast for former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> in Maine&#8217;s primary on Super Tuesday will be counted after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> ruled states cannot remove him from the ballot using Section 3 of the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th Amendment</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, withdrew the ban on Trump in a <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-03-04-Modified-ruling-of-the-ME-Secretary-of-State-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">modified ruling</a> that took into consideration the high court&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-rules-trump-cant-be-kicked-off-colorado-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> on Monday in a case from Colorado called Trump v. Anderson.
&#8220;The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices,&#8221; Bellows said.
&#8220;Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid,&#8221; she added.
In December, Maine became the second state to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disqualify</a> Trump from the ballot following Colorado over the view that he violated the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th Amendment&#8217;s</a> insurrection clause due to his conduct leading up to the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-biased-decision-maker-trump-appeals-dem-officials-ruling-to-kick-him-off-maine-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appealed</a> the decision to the Maine Superior Court. His lawyers argued Bellows was biased and made a decision based on &#8220;untrustworthy evidence.&#8221; A judge put the decision <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-judge-delays-trump-ballot-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on hold</a> until the Supreme Court ruled, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-remains-on-ballot-in-maine-pending-scotus-decision-after-states-top-court-declines-appeal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">state&#8217;s top court declined</a> to get involved before that happened.
The Supreme Court decision was timely for Trump, as Colorado and Maine have their GOP primaries scheduled on Super Tuesday. Illinois, a third state in which a decision to bar Trump from the ballot had been reversed, has its GOP primary set for March 19.
Trump is spearheading another presidential campaign this year. He is currently the GOP frontrunner with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/republican-primary-delegates-tracker-calendar.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">273 delegates</a> over Nikki Haley&#8217;s 43 delegates. If he secures the nomination, Trump could face President Joe Biden in a 2020 rematch in the general election.
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But as he runs again for the White House, Trump faces a bevy of criminal cases, some of which are tied to January 6, as well as civil litigation. Trump has broadly denied any wrongdoing.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> announced last week that it was taking up the issue of whether <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> can invoke presidential immunity to shield himself from federal prosecution in a 2020 election case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. An oral argument is <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23a745.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scheduled</a> for the week of April 22.

Donald Trump

Maine Official Withdraws Trump Ballot Ban

2024 Election

2024 Primaries

Elections

Supreme Court

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine&#8217;s</a> legislature has killed a bill that would have allowed the state to take custody of children who are unable to get transgender medical services.
On Thursday, Maine&#8217;s joint Judiciary Committee <a href="https://legislature.maine.gov/Audio/#438?event=90373&amp;startDate=2024-01-25T15:00:00-05:00" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 12-0 against advancing the &#8220;Act to Safeguard Gender-affirming Health Care&#8221; or LD 1735, meaning the bill is dead and will not get a vote on the House or Senate floor.
The <a href="https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1114&amp;item=1&amp;snum=131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would have allowed the state to take emergency temporary custody of children who want but are unable to obtain transgender medical services, including genital surgery, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormone therapy.
Law enforcement would also be prohibited under the bill from arresting or extraditing a person based on a warrant from another state that has laws against transgender medical interventions for children.
Courts would also be barred from considering the abduction of a child from a parent &#8220;if the taking or retention was for obtaining gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming or gender-affirming mental health care.&#8221;
Republicans expressed serious concerns with the bill before the committee vote, some <a href="https://fox23maine.com/news/local/controversial-bill-safeguard-gender-affirming-care-killed-maine-state-house-republicans-judiciary-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arguing</a> that the bill would allow out-of-state children to come to Maine to receive transgender medical interventions without parental consent.
“The angst that the parents from around the country have reached out to talk to us about this bill, that should’ve never come to be,” <a href="https://fox23maine.com/news/local/controversial-bill-safeguard-gender-affirming-care-killed-maine-state-house-republicans-judiciary-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> state Senator Lisa Keim, a Republican. “Parents shouldn’t have their rights threatened in this way, and this is a dangerous bill for children.”
“This gives the state jurisdiction to effectively come into your home and take your kids based on a medical decision you made for the wellbeing and mental wellbeing of your child,” said state Representative Rachel Henderson, also a Republican.
The bill&#8217;s main sponsor is state Representative Laurie Osher, <a href="https://www.laurieosherfororono.com/meet-laurie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Democrat</a> and the leader of the legislature&#8217;s LGBT Equality Caucus, and it garnered support from at least six other lawmakers.
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Osher said Thursday that she will continue to fight for people who want transgender medical interventions.
“We will make sure that people are protected, that our care providers are protected,” Osher <a href="https://fox23maine.com/news/local/controversial-bill-safeguard-gender-affirming-care-killed-maine-state-house-republicans-judiciary-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Today was a moment where we’re not getting that done, but we will get that done.”
Earlier this month, the bill prompted backlash online, including from several prominent conservative figures.
&#8220;This is SICK! Bombard them with emails. This cannot pass,&#8221; journalist Megyn Kelly posted on X.
&#8220;Demonic,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status/1747410592678269252?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is SICK! Bombard them with emails. This cannot pass <a href="https://t.co/Is2fmPhC86">https://t.co/Is2fmPhC86</a>
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1747414524162867711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
State Senator Eric Brakey, a Republican, told the committee before the vote that he believes that &#8220;there are certain lines that I think need to be respected as far as the authority of the family vs. the authority of the state.&#8221;
&#8220;I feel like this legislation takes a great leap over that line, potentially empowering the state to even take custody of minors in a way that does not feel appropriate to me,&#8221; Brakey said.
State Representative Matthew Moonen, a Democrat, initially sponsored the bill and said during the hearing that it has &#8220;certainly gotten a lot of attention.&#8221; Ultimately, however, Moonen said the bill&#8217;s language is &#8220;not needed&#8221; and voted against advancing it.
Other Democrats who previously supported the bill backed down and voted no as well.
After the vote to kill the bill, the several people attending the hearing erupted into applause, prompting a scolding from the committee&#8217;s chairwoman.
The Minnesota bill is somewhat similar to a 2022 California law that made the state a &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; for child transgender medical interventions.
Among other things, the California law <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-signs-bill-making-california-sanctuary-for-child-gender-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricts</a> officials and health providers from cooperating with out-of-state attempts to stop a child from getting transgender medical interventions.

Depressed/Sad girl

Maine Legislature Kills Bill That Would Let State Take Custody Of Children For Transgender Medical Services

Children

Gender

Health

Health Care

Former President Donald Trump will remain on the ballot in Maine for now after the state’s highest court declined to take up an appeal from Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Wednesday. 
After Bellows decided to remove Trump from the state’s ballot, citing the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, a Superior Court judge put Bellows’ decision on hold, saying she would not decide on the case until the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Colorado’s attempt to remove the former president from its ballot. 
Bellows appealed the Superior Court’s decision to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which — in a unanimous decision — declined to take up the case, keeping in place the lower court’s decision to hold out on a ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-ballot-insurrection-amendment-2240b954d91c442b5644c74b2823f2c0">reported</a>. 
“The Secretary of State suggests that there is irreparable harm because a delay in certainty about whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot will result in voter confusion. This uncertainty is, however, precisely what guides our decision not to undertake immediate appellate review in this particular case,” the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said.
The U.S. Supreme Court will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-agrees-to-review-colorado-decision-removing-trump-from-ballot">begin hearing arguments</a> on the Colorado case on February 8, less than a month before Maine holds its primary on March 5. Bellows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot">kicked Trump off</a> the state’s ballot in late December, just a little over a week after the Colorado Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-supreme-court-rules-trump-not-eligible-to-run-in-2024-removes-him-from-ballot">ruled</a> Trump is ineligible to appear on the ballot. 
In an appeal to the Maine Superior Court following Bellow’s decision, Trump’s lawyers called the secretary of state a “biased decision maker.” 
“The secretary should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump, as demonstrated by a documented history of prior statements prejudging the issue presented,” Trump’s lawyers said. 
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s decision to reject Bellows’ appeal is similar to a decision made by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oregon-supreme-court-shoots-down-challenge-seeking-to-remove-trump-from-ballot">Oregon Supreme Court</a> earlier this month. The challenge to Trump’s ballot eligibility was brought by five Oregon voters who want the former president disqualified from the ballot. But as with the case in Maine, Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn pointed to the Colorado case, and said those challenging Trump’s appearance on the state’s ballot will have to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide on the Colorado case. 
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The Supreme Court’s decision on the Colorado ballot case will also likely have implications for groups of voters in Illinois and Massachusetts who are seeking to remove Trump from the ballot.

Trump Remains On Ballot In Maine Pending SCOTUS Decision After State’s Top Court Declines Appeal

Trump Remains On Ballot In Maine Pending SCOTUS Decision After State's Top Court Declines Appeal

ballots

Secretary of State

A judge halted on Wednesday a top <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> official&#8217;s move to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disqualify</a> former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> from the state&#8217;s 2024 primary ballot.
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/093dae697a6da741/32f3738e-full.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remanded</a> the matter to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, but ordered a pause until a decision is made in a similar case from Colorado for a new ruling to be issued on Trump&#8217;s eligibility.
The result &#8220;minimizes any potentially destabilizing effect of inconsistent decisions and will promote greater predictability in the weeks ahead of the primary election,&#8221; the judge wrote. &#8220;The Court therefore concludes that its remand of this matter is in the public interest.&#8221;
Bellows, a Democrat, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot">removed</a> Trump from her state&#8217;s ballot for the March 5 primary last month on the view that he violated the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th Amendment&#8217;s</a> insurrection clause due to his conduct leading up to the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021.
Trump responded by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-biased-decision-maker-trump-appeals-dem-officials-ruling-to-kick-him-off-maine-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appealing</a> the decision to the Maine Superior Court. His lawyers argued that Bellows was biased against their client and made a decision based on &#8220;untrustworthy evidence.&#8221;
A flurry of 14th Amendment cases in other states have been <a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/current-projects/the-trump-trials/section-3-litigation-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed in court or remain active</a>. One particular lawsuit, in Colorado, led to the state’s supreme court last month to kick Trump off the primary ballot.
The U.S. Supreme Court, on which there are three Trump nominees, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-agrees-to-review-colorado-decision-removing-trump-from-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to review the Colorado decision. Oral arguments are scheduled to take place on February 8.
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“I fought really hard to get three very, very good people, and they’re great people, very smart people, and I just hope that they’re going to be fair,” Trump said at a recent event in Iowa, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-agrees-weigh-whether-trump-can-kicked-ballot-colorado-rcna132058" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NBC News</a>.
Trump is running a third campaign for the White House while also facing a bevy of criminal cases, some of which are tied to January 6, as well as civil litigation. The former president has broadly denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the legal hurdles, Trump leads in polls examining the Republican primary contest. On Monday, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-projected-to-win-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emerged victorious</a> from the Iowa caucuses over his GOP rivals, which include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Maine Judge Delays Trump Ballot Decision

Courts

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> on Tuesday appealed the decision by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to remove him from the state&#8217;s 2024 presidential primary ballot. 
Trump, who has jumped ahead of President Joe Biden in recent polling in key states, argued that Bellows is a &#8220;biased decision maker&#8221; and should not be allowed to take such action. Bellows has said she has the authority to remove Trump, claiming he participated in an “insurrection” on January 6, 2021. 
“The secretary should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump, as demonstrated by a documented history of prior statements prejudging the issue presented,” Trump’s lawyers said in an <a href="https://www.courts.maine.gov/news/trump/complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeal</a> to the Maine Superior Court. 
Bellows reportedly visited the White House multiple times last year, where she posed for a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maine-democrat-barred-trump-ballot-met-biden-year-electoral-college-white-supremacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picture</a> with President Joe Biden. She has previously posted about the &#8220;fears of a Trump presidency&#8221; on social media. After the 2020 election, she wrote in a column that she was &#8220;frightened for our Democracy&#8221; and that the Electoral College is a &#8220;relic of White Supremacy.&#8221;
The appeal also said Bellows&#8217; decision was based on “untrustworthy evidence.” Additionally, Trump’s lawyers said the former president was “denied due process by failing to give him adequate time and opportunity to present a defense.” 
“As evidence of President Trump’s conduct, the Secretary relied entirely on President Trump’s public speeches. These speeches did not incite insurrection, and therefore President Trump’s political speech was protected by the First Amendment,” the appeal said. 
The Maine Republican Party has said it would consider changing to a caucus system to select its Republican presidential nominee in a move that would bypass Bellows’ decision. 
“We’re fighting Shenna Bellows’ unilateral decision to toss Trump from the Maine ballot on every front and we’re glad this has been appealed. We are preparing for the Supreme Court. The voice of Mainers will be heard despite the dirty partisan tricks being played!” the Maine GOP <a href="https://twitter.com/mainegop/status/1742314029689847918" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X after Trump’s appeal was filed. “Shenna Bellows needs to go and Donald Trump needs to be restored to the Maine ballot!”
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Bellows <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-supreme-court-colorado-maine-14th-amendment-24e92ece8a13531ded8975a651127cde" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press on Tuesday that she stands by the move.
“This is part of the process. I have confidence in my decision and confidence in the rule of law. This is Maine’s process and it’s really important that first and foremost every single one of us who serves in government uphold the Constitution and the laws of the state,” she said.
Trump has faced several 14th Amendment challenges to his candidacy, including in states like Michigan and Minnesota, where efforts have failed. In Colorado, the state’s supreme court ruled to remove Trump from the ballot last month. However, the decision was put on pause as it is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

US-POLITICS-VOTE-TRUMP

‘A Biased Decision Maker’: Trump Appeals Dem Official’s Ruling To Kick Him Off Maine Ballot

Joe Biden

Even David Axelrod, top adviser to former President Barack Obama, has admitted that forcibly removing former President Donald Trump from primary ballots — which some states have already attempted to do, pending court rulings — could be a risky move for Democrats.
Axelrod told CNN on Friday that he had &#8220;very, very strong reservations&#8221; about states like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-official-who-booted-trump-from-ballot-visited-biden-white-house-blasted-the-electoral-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catastrophic-effects-colorado-gop-asks-supreme-court-to-reverse-trumps-removal-from-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a> — where officials have cited the 14th Amendment&#8217;s &#8220;insurrection&#8221; clause and declared Trump &#8220;ineligible&#8221; to run for President in 2024 because of what happened on January 6th, 2021.
&#8220;I have very, very strong reservations about all of this. I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running because tens of millions of people want to vote for him,&#8221; Axelrod said.
As The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/30/news/removing-trump-from-the-primary-ballot-would-rip-the-country-apart-david-axelrod/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, Axelrod argued that Trump had essentially set up his campaign to function as part of his legal defense — and Democrats who wanted him removed from the 2024 primary ballot were playing right into his hands.
&#8220;A lot of the motivation for [Trump’s] candidacy was as a legal defense strategy,&#8221; Axelrod explained, adding, &#8220;He wanted to set up a construct … which says that they’re coming after him because he’s running for president, and they’re trying to prevent him from being president.&#8221;
The problem, Axelrod added, was that every attack Democrats had brought against the former president so far appeared to have backfired: &#8220;We’ve run this experiment, he’s only gained since he started getting indicted.&#8221;
Brianne Pfannenstiel, chief political reporter at the Des Moines Register, backed up Axelrod&#8217;s assessment to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her Sunday morning MSNBC show.
&#8220;If he&#8217;s being attacked, Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him&#8230; His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa,&#8221; she said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;If he&#39;s being attacked, Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him&#8230; His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brianneDMR</a> on Iowa polling that shows Trump&#39;s rhetoric makes GOP caucusgoers more likely to support him <a href="https://t.co/Hxb60GaQbD">pic.twitter.com/Hxb60GaQbD</a>
&mdash; Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) <a href="https://twitter.com/InsideWithPsaki/status/1741509605971185815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ultimately, Axelrod argued that the best way to defeat Trump was not in removing him from the ballot but in beating him at the ballot box. &#8220;I think if you’re going to beat Donald Trump, you’re going to probably have to do it at the polls.&#8221;

The 2017 Concordia Annual Summit – Day 1

Former Obama Advisor Admits It: Keeping Trump Off The Ballot Is A Risky Move For Democrats

Barack Obama

Colorado

David Axelrod

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is speaking out after her home was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/swatting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;swatted&#8221;</a> the day after she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disqualified</a> former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> from the state&#8217;s 2024 primary ballot.
Bellows, a Democrat, said on Saturday that she is concerned for the safety of her family amid fallout from her ruling on Thursday that found Trump violated the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th Amendment&#8217;s</a> insurrection clause due to his conduct leading up to the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021, and wanted to make a statement.
&#8220;I decided to speak out today because threats of violence are unacceptable. Swatting the home of an elected official, who is doing their job, is unacceptable,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbUw9fCNpwc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she told MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend</a>. &#8220;And what my staff, my team have experienced — what they experienced all day yesterday, was a constant onslaught of threatening communications. And that has to stop.&#8221;
Maine State Police said a call was made by an unknown male on Friday in which he claimed to have broken into an Augusta-area home, prompting a law enforcement response in what authorities ultimately determined was a swatting call, according to <a href="https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-secretary-of-state-bellows-home-targeted-in-swatting-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local CBS affiliate WGME</a>. Both police and Bellows confirmed that it was her home that was the target. She added that she was away with her husband when the swatting occurred.
&#8220;Many of you have asked if Brandon and I are safe. We are away for the holiday weekend. We were not home yesterday when threats escalated, and our home address was posted online,&#8221; Bellows <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shenna.bellows/posts/10229126164831270?ref=embed_post" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on social media. &#8220;It was a good thing because our home was swatted last night. That’s when someone calls in a fake emergency to evoke a strong law enforcement response to scare the target. Swatting incidents have resulted in casualties although thankfully this one did not.&#8221;
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The &#8220;swatting&#8221; incident was the latest in a string of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mtg-vows-to-introduce-legislation-to-crack-down-on-swatting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fake reports of an emergency</a> to law enforcement targeting elected officials of both parties this holiday season, including Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marjorie-taylor-greene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> (R-GA), <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/12/26/boston-mayor-michelle-wus-home-swatted-on-christmas-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu</a>, and <a href="https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/crime/2023/12/28/rick-scott-reports-swatting-attempt-at-florida-home-what-is-swatting/72046922007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)</a>.
Asked what steps are being taken to ensure that threats do not affect her ability to serve the people of Maine, Bellows said she has been &#8220;so fortunate&#8221; as she praised the work of law enforcement to keep her, her family, and her team safe. Bellows also said that she has received an outpouring of support from the Maine community, including from those people who disagree with her ruling, against which Trump&#8217;s campaign has vowed to file a legal challenge.
&#8220;But it is important for all good people to speak up,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And furthermore, I also want to call out the dehumanizing images that have been placed online of me, the threatening communications to people in my family, and to my staff, people who work for me. It is designed to instill fear, and to provoke silence, to keep people from speaking out, to send a message — and it is absolutely wrong and we cannot stand for it.&#8221;

Hearing in Augusta to reverse changes to section 17 that resulted in many clients losing mental health services

Maine Official Who Disqualified Trump From Ballot Says She’s Been Hit By ‘Onslaught’ Of Threats

Maine Official Who Disqualified Trump From Ballot Hit By 'Onslaught' Of Threats

Law Enforcement

Swatting

The Maine official responsible for having former President Donald Trump booted from her state&#8217;s Republican primary ballot has visited President Joe Biden&#8217;s White House — twice in the last year — and has previously referred to the Electoral College as a &#8220;relic of white supremacy.&#8221;
Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shenna Bellows</a> (D-ME), according to a <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/30/news/maine-dem-who-kicked-trump-off-ballot-called-electoral-college-white-supremacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published by The New York Post on Saturday, visited the White House in March and then again in June. During the first visit, she met President Biden — and when she returned several months later, she met with one of Biden&#8217;s aides.
Bellows posted a photo of herself with the president a day after the first visit, which she said included a White House event celebrating Women&#8217;s History Month.
&#8220;Birthday jaunt to DC for a Women’s History Month event at the White House yesterday and walking around today. So wonderful to see one of my earliest mentors Teresa Younger and fellow first female Secretary Elaine Marshall of North Carolina at the White House reception. Amazing to meet President Biden. Grateful for the birthday wishes today,&#8221; she captioned the photo on Instagram.
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When she returned to the White House in June, she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maine-democrat-barred-trump-ballot-met-biden-year-electoral-college-white-supremacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> met with Justin Vail, special aide to President Biden.
Bellows&#8217; beef with the Electoral College was revealed in a <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/voting-rights-for-our-neighbors-matter-as-much-as-our-own/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 op-ed</a> for the Democracy Docket — an op-ed that she wrote just one year after serving as a member of the Electoral College herself in 2020.
&#8220;It’s not enough to advance voting rights in our state alone. It shouldn’t be easier to vote in Maine than Montana. Voting rights for our neighbors matter as much as our own, especially when the relic of white supremacy that is the Electoral College remains in place,&#8221; she wrote.
Bellows issued a <a href="https://www.maine.gov/sos/news/2023/Decision%20in%20Challenge%20to%20Trump%20Presidential%20Primary%20Petitions.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruling</a> on Thursday declaring Trump ineligible to run for a second presidential term in 2024, citing the 14th Amendment and claiming that his participation in an &#8220;insurrection&#8221; on January 6, 2021, was what had disqualified him.
Bellows also rejected demands from Trump&#8217;s team, who said that she should recuse herself from decisions about whether or not he could appear on the ballot because things she had posted on social media suggested she had already predetermined that he was guilty of &#8220;insurrection.&#8221;

Shenna Bellows, Executive Director — of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, testifies in f

Maine Official Who Booted Trump From Ballot Visited Biden White House, Blasted The Electoral College

Republican Primary

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