Washington. Can Donald Trump run for president again after the incident at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021? Two states have answered the question no — at least for now.
Former US President Donald Trump is legally defending himself against efforts to exclude him from the Republican presidential primaries in individual states.
Trump's lawyers filed an appeal in court in Maine against the top election supervisor's decision that the Republican disqualified himself from the presidency for his conduct in connection with the attack on the US Capitol in January. 6, 2021 is therefore not allowed in the area code.
Trump is expected to appeal a similar ruling to the Supreme Court in the state of Colorado. Ultimately, the US Supreme Court will probably have to clarify the delicate question.
That's what it's all about
Almost exactly three years ago, the unprecedented attack on the US Parliament building Background: Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump had earlier fired up his supporters during a speech saying the election victory was stolen from him through massive fraud. As a result of the riots, five people died. Trump faces charges of attempted election fraud for his actions surrounding the vote.
Based on these events, various plaintiffs in various US states have been trying for some time to remove Trump's name from the ballot for the presidential election. Anyone who wants to run for president in the United States, either Republican or Democratic, must first win the party's internal primaries. In states like Michigan and Minnesota, plaintiffs unsuccessfully tried to remove Trump from the primary race. Results are still pending in other states. However, the results went against Trump in Maine and Colorado.
In Colorado, the state's Supreme Court ruled a few days ago that the Republican Party president was ineligible for the primary because he stormed the Capitol. Not long after, in Maine, not a court, but Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is in charge of elections, came to the same conclusion.
Trump's lawyers have now filed a formal objection to their decision. They argued, among other things, that Bellows was biased and lacked the legal authority to make such a decision. Conclusion is error based and arbitrary.
What is happening now
Bellows put his decision on hold pending Trump's objection. The same goes for Colorado. Both decisions will initially have no effect until the appeals process is ongoing and final clarity is not yet available.
In Colorado, the American Center for Law and Justice has already appealed the court ruling on behalf of the state's Republican Party. More objections are expected from Trump in Colorado. That means the Supreme Court will eventually have a say in the matter.
Why the rush?
Time is running out. The Republican primary begins on January 15th with the first vote in the state of Iowa. The Republican primaries in Colorado and Maine will be held on March 5, so-called Super Tuesday, when many states will vote. However, the ballots are printed a little earlier.
Trump is seeking a re-election bid as a Republican in November's presidential election, and he is leading Republican candidates by a wide margin in opinion polls. As for Democrats, Biden wants to run for a second term. He has no fierce internal competition.
In addition to the legal dispute over his participation in the primaries, Trump faces several major court proceedings in the coming months on various criminal charges — including the attack on the Capitol and his efforts to retroactively change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240102-99-474119/3 (dpa)
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