The House of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) was entered by police just days after she decided to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican Party primary ballot. The raid was the result of a false call to emergency services, in an incident often called ‘swatting.’
Police arrived at the house after a false claim that a man had broken into her house. The raid occurred after a man allegedly called in the information on Friday. Neither the secretary of state nor her family were home during the incident.
Bellows wrote on Facebook that she was “moved by every one and especially by those from friends and loved ones who disagree with my decision but have reached out to express love and respect.”
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Saturday said her home was the target of a swat call and she has received threats since her ruling Thursday that Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot in the Republican primary in 2024. https://t.co/LqqtZnWXuk
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) December 30, 2023
The secretary of state added that there had been “non-stop threatening communications” following her decision to remove Trump from the ballot.
“It’s designed to scare not only me but also others into silence, to send a message. I am so grateful to have such an amazing team of employees at the Department of Secretary of State,” she said.
Bellows also thanked law enforcement for their cooperation.
Following the police entering Bellows’ home at her request, there were no suspicious items or individuals found.
Such swatting incidents are not uncommon and have been used against political opponents in recent years. In December, the house of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was raided following a false police call. The tactic has also been used against other notable figures, including one incident which killed a Kansas man in 2019.
The swatting also came as Maine legislators called for Bellows’ impeachment for her primary ballot decision.
State Rep. John Andrews (R-ME) said that Bellows’ decision was “hyper-partisanship on full display.”
State House Republican Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R) said that there was “bipartisan opposition to the extreme decision made by the secretary of state. She has clearly overstepped her authority. It remains to be seen if her effort at voter suppression will garner enough Democrat support to remove her from her position.”
