Former Illinois Republican Rep. and anti-Trumper Adam Kinzinger said Friday the decision to knock former President Donald Trump off the ballot in Maine “opens a real Pandora’s box.”
Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows made the decision based on three challenges related to Trump’s appearance on the ballot. Bellows ruled by herself that Trump incited an insurrection and violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and was therefore prohibited from holding office.
“What’s your read on what we saw last night and what this means going forward?” CNN’s Phil Mattingly asked.
“Yeah, I mean, look, this is ultimately — again, all of these cases, that’s going to have to be adjudicated in the U.S. Supreme Court. Because we can debate what is the 14th Amendment, does it cover Donald Trump, does it not, there is really compelling cases on both sides, and the court’s just have to make that decision,” Kinzinger said. (RELATED: ‘They Will Stop At Nothing’: Tulsi Gabbard Slams Maine’s ‘Dangerous’ Removal Of Trump From Ballot)
“I don’t think we want to be — you know, Colorado is a little different. That made it through to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court made that decision. Obviously, Maine will have to go that way. But I don’t like the idea of, you know, a secretary of state, frankly, from a different party making a decision to keep a presidential candidate off a ballot. That opens a real Pandora’s box. That said, she did her job, she made the best decision she could, it is going to have to work through the courts there. But I think no matter what happens here, the bottom line is the U.S. Supreme Court, like them or love them or hate them, whatever, they’re gonna be the ones to make decision on what the 14th Amendment means in this case.”
Bellows’ decision rests on the Colorado decision that came out of the state’s Supreme Court removing Trump from the ballot pending an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Kinzinger had previously warned against knocking Trump off the ballot, calling the idea “very divisive” during an October interview.
“Donald Trump has to be defeated at the ballot because that’s the best way for this country to heal,” Kinzinger said.