A left-wing activist group filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump Friday in Michigan, claiming that he is ineligible to run for a second term due to the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on engaging in “insurrection or rebellion,” according to court documents.
Free Speech For People (FSFP), which is backed by left-wing donors, announced a campaign to remove Trump as a candidate for the 2024 election and filed a similar lawsuit in Minnesota on Sept. 12. The group filed its second challenge which argued that the former president is “constitutionally ineligible” for candidacy due to the events of January 6, 2021, according to court documents. (RELATED: Left-Wing Mega Donors Are Quietly Powering Efforts To Get Trump Off The Ballot)
“The events of January 6, 2021, amounted to an insurrection or a rebellion under Section 3: a violent, coordinated effort to storm the Capitol to obstruct and prevent the Vice President of the United States and the United States Congress from fulfilling their constitutional roles by certifying President Biden’s victory, and to illegally extend then-President Trump’s tenure in office,” the lawsuit reads.
A cloud of teargas used to disperse pro-Trump protesters is seen after protesters storm the grounds of the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Michigan is a swing state in a potential head-to-head match between President Joe Biden and Trump. Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has stated that neither she nor other high-ranking elected officials can take action against Trump based on this clause of the Constitution, according to The Associated Press.
A third lawsuit is underway in Colorado after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a George Soros-funded group, filed against Trump over his involvement on January 6. Trump called the group a bunch of “slime balls” on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“The group suing me in Colorado to ridiculously try and Unconstitutionally keep me off the ballot (I am leading against DeSanctimonious by almost 50 points, and beating Crooked Joe, BIG!), is TRUMP DERANGED ‘CREW,’ composed of many slime balls & groups like Norm Eisen through Brookings or Just Security, Andrew Weissmann, Joyce Vance, et al,” Trump said.
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that this argument is “the single most dangerous constitutional theory,” noting that for many Americans, January 6 was “a protest that became a riot” not a “rebellion or insurrection.”
“But that’s a matter of disagreement between citizens. But Donald Trump hasn’t been charged with insurrection, not even incitement,” Turley said. “Special Counsel Jack Smith charged him with a variety of crimes like fraud. He notably did not charge him with even incitement.”
FPFP and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.