John Dean, former White House counsel to Richard Nixon, discussed Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ ruling that Donald Trump was “not qualified to hold the office of the President under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” leading to his exclusion from the state’s ballot.
Dean emphasized that the decision was solid and based on a straightforward reading of the 14th Amendment, indicating trouble for Trump.
He anticipated the Supreme Court’s involvement and questioned how strict constructionists and originalists would address the language of the amendment.
“When we look at this perhaps not surprisingly we heard frequently from the Trump campaign slamming this decision saying in part, ‘Biden and the Democrats simply do not trust the American voter in a free and fair election.’ We’re hearing this, hey, leave it up to the voters to decide,” CNN’s Erica Hill said.
“Put somebody on the ballot and they’re tell you whether they should be in office or not.”
“Well, they like to ignore the Constitution,” Dean said.
“We know that. I think the Maine decision is very solid. It was fully briefed.”
“There is ample due process in this proceeding. And they just lost by a straight, honest reading of the 14th Amendment. Trump is in trouble. He’s in trouble wherever this is raised and addressed.”
“So yes, the Supreme Court is going to have to weigh in on it,” he said.
“I want to see those strict constructionists and originalists get around that language. How are they going to do it?”
“I don’t know. It looks so applicable Erica. I don’t know what they can do with it other than take him off the ballot.”
