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I have been learning about the process for certifying a petition from a candidate who wishes to be placed on the Maine ballot. The candidate for federal office must meet certain requirements as laid out in the U.S. Constitution. And as laid out in the Constitution, having taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, the officer holder may not have engaged “in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” And I believe Donald John Trump did just that. We all saw it. We all heard it.
No. 1, he told his supporters to “stand back and stand by.”
No. 2, he welcomed his supporters who came for the express purpose of interrupting the constitutionally required proceedings in Congress to certify the results of the election or, in his words, to ” stop the steal.”
No. 3, he sent them to the Capitol to interrupt the proceedings.
No. 4, he watched the violence at the Capitol unfold.
No. 5, he did nothing meaningful to stop the violence at the Capitol for more than three hours.
As commander-in-chief, he organized, he welcomed, he sent, he watched and did basically nothing to stop the assault on the Capitol. In doing so, I believe he violated the oath he took to “protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” It is this violation of his oath that should be the grounds for disqualifying him as a candidate for the office of the president of the United States.
It is my sincere hope that Maine will come to the same conclusion I have: He is disqualified from ever serving in any office again for violating his oath of office.
Mary Royal
Winterport