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The Secretary of State of Maine was the victim of a “swatting” incident shortly after announcing that Donald Trump would not be eligible for Maine’s 2024 ballot.
According to a statement from the Maine State Police, a man contacted the police and claimed to have burglarized Shenna Bellows’s residence in Manchester, Maine. Ms. Bellows was not present at the time on December 29, and a search of the premises did not reveal any signs of suspicious activity.
The police stated that the incident is still being investigated.
A “swatting” event involves making false calls to 911, resulting in the deployment of heavily armed and armored law enforcement units.
th Amendment
The previous day, Ms Bellows declared that Mr Trump would not be allowed to be included on the 2024 ballot in the state due to the restrictions outlined in the 14th Amendment.th
The amendment prohibits individuals who have participated in an insurrection from holding office.
The Colorado Supreme Court referenced the identical amendment in their decision to prevent Mr. Trump from appearing on Colorado’s 2024 ballot. On January 2nd, Mr. Trump appealed Ms. Bellows’s ruling in the state court.
Many other government officials were targeted by swatting incidents over the holiday period.
On December 25th, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a representative from Georgia, reported that her family’s residence was targeted by a swatting incident. She also stated that she had recently received a death threat on social media.
On the same day, Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston, Massachusetts reported to local news source WBUR that she had been a victim of swatting. She stated that she has become accustomed to these incidents after experiencing multiple in the past. On December 27th, Senator Rick Scott of Florida announced that his home in Naples had also been swatted while he and his wife were out for dinner.
The source is the Independent, a news publication from the United Kingdom.
