Current:Home > StocksMaine state official who removed Trump from ballot was targeted in swatting call at her home -Secure Growth Academy
Maine state official who removed Trump from ballot was targeted in swatting call at her home
Burley Garcia View
Date:2025-04-08 04:50:04
A fake emergency call to police resulted in officers responding Friday night to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows just a day after she removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause.
She becomes the latest elected politician to become a target of swatting, which involves making a prank phone call to emergency services with the intent that a large first responder presence, including SWAT teams, will show up at a residence.
Bellows was not home when the swatting call was made, and responding officers found nothing suspicious.
While no motive for the swatting attempt was released by the Maine Department of Public Safety, Bellows said she had no doubts it stemmed from her decision to remove Trump from the ballot.
The swatting attempt came after her home address was posted on social media by a conservative activist. “And it was posted in anger and with violent intent by those who have been extending threatening communications toward me, my family and my office,” she told The Associated Press in a phone call Saturday.
According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, a call was made to emergency services from an unknown man saying he had broken into a house in Manchester.
The address the man gave was Bellows’ home. Bellows and her husband were away for the holiday weekend. Maine State Police responded to what the public safety department said ultimately turned out to be a swatting call.
Police conducted an exterior sweep of the house and then checked inside at Bellows’ request. Nothing suspicious was found, and police continue to investigate.
“The Maine State Police is working with our law enforcement partners to provide special attention to any and all appropriate locations,” the public safety statement said.
Bellows said the intimidation factors won’t work. “Here’s what I’m not doing differently. I’m doing my job to uphold the Constitution, the rule of law.”
Other high-profile politicians who have been targets of swatting calls include U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Bellows said she, her family and her office workers have been threatened since her decision to remove Trump from the ballot. At least one Republican lawmaker in Maine wants to pursue impeachment against her.
“Not only have there been threatening communications, but there have been dehumanizing fake images posted online and even fake text threads attributed to me,” said Bellows, who has worked in civil rights prior to becoming secretary of state.
“And my previous work taught me that dehumanizing people is the first step in creating an environment that leads to attacks and violence against that person,” she said. “It is extraordinarily dangerous for the rhetoric to have escalated to the point of dehumanizing me and threatening me, my loved ones and the people who work for me.”
She said the people of Maine have a strong tradition of being able to disagree on important issues without violence.
“I think it is extraordinarily important that everyone deescalate the rhetoric and remember the values that make our democratic republic and here in Maine, our state, so great,” she said.
The Trump campaign said it would appeal Bellows’ decision to Maine’s state courts, and Bellows suspended her ruling until that court system rules on the case.
The Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month removed Trump from that state’s ballot, a decision that also was stayed until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether he would be barred under the insurrection clause, a Civil War-era provision which prohibits those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.
___
Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
veryGood! (272)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Shark bites right foot of man playing football in knee deep water at Florida beach
- Does Dad of 4 Boys Michael Phelps Want to Try for a Baby Girl? He Says…
- Track Hurricane Beryl as it rages toward Mexico after ripping through Caribbean
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Residents of small Missouri town angered over hot-car death of police dog
- Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett shows an independence from majority view in recent opinions
- Let Sophia Bush's Red-Hot Hair Transformation Inspire Your Summer Look
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- This Proxy Season, Companies’ Success Against Activist Investors Surged
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Power boat crashes into Southern California jetty, killing 1 and injuring 10
- Taylor Swift brought back this song cut from Eras Tour for surprise set in Amsterdam
- Fireworks can scare dogs. Vets explain why and how to calm your pet's anxiety.
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein
- Air travel is getting worse. That’s what passengers are telling the US government
- USA Basketball men’s Olympic team arrives for camp in Las Vegas
Recommendation
Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
Saks Fifth Avenue owner buying Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion
Are shark attacks on the rise? | The Excerpt
New panel charged with helping Massachusetts meet its renewable energy goals
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Kansas’ top court rejects 2 anti-abortion laws, bolstering a state right to abortion access
Want to buy or sell a home? How to get a 3% mortgage rate, negotiate fees, and more
Wisconsin dam fails as water flows over top, residents urged to seek high ground