Current:Home > FinanceMaine state official who removed Trump from ballot was targeted in swatting call at her home-LoTradeCoin
Maine state official who removed Trump from ballot was targeted in swatting call at her home
View Date:2024-12-23 21:54:16
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! (71116)
Related
- Tua Tagovailoa playing with confidence as Miami Dolphins hope MNF win can spark run
- Wisconsin regulators file complaint against judge who left court to arrest a hospitalized defendant
- The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD packs more HP than expected — at $325K
- 2 arrested in deadly attack on homeless man sleeping in NYC parking lot
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- As 49ers' elevating force, George Kittle feels 'urgency' to capitalize on Super Bowl window
- Stormzy Shares Kiss With Victoria Monét 3 Months After Maya Jama Breakup
- Pregnant Elle King Shares Update on Her Relationship With Dad Rob Schneider
- Minnesota man is free after 16 years in prison for murder that prosecutors say he didn’t commit
- Woman pleads guilty to trying to smuggle 29 turtles across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak
Ranking
- Louisville officials mourn victims of 'unthinkable' plant explosion amid investigation
- As 49ers' elevating force, George Kittle feels 'urgency' to capitalize on Super Bowl window
- Oregon’s most populous county adds gas utility to $51B climate suit against fossil fuel companies
- Tampa Bay Times keeps publishing despite a Milton crane collapse cutting off access to newsroom
- The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
- Artur Beterbiev defeats Dmitry Bivol: Round-by-round analysis, highlights
- A man was shot to death in confrontation with law enforcement officers in Kansas
- After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Bacteria and Chemicals May Lurk in Flood Waters
Recommendation
-
Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
-
Twin brothers Cameron, Cayden Boozer commit to Duke basketball just like their father
-
Amanda Overstreet Case: Teen Girl’s Remains Found in Freezer After 2005 Disappearance
-
Man wins $3.1 million on $2 Colorado Lottery game
-
Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
-
It’s not just Fat Bear Week in Alaska. Trail cameras are also capturing wolves, moose and more
-
NFL Week 6 bold predictions: Which players, teams will turn heads?
-
US Justice Department says Virginia is illegally striking voters off the rolls in new lawsuit