Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' home was the scene of a "swatting call" late Friday, just a day after she made headlines by ruling former President Donald Trump ineligible for the state’s primary ballot, according to NBC News. The unnerving prank involved a bogus emergency call, aimed to draw a heavy police response to Bellows' residence under false pretenses.
Following the dangerous hoax, which saw law enforcement officers rushing to Bellows' home after a man claimed to have broken in, Bellows was not found at the venue and police encountered nothing out of order. As they received the misleading tip at about 8:15 p.m., Maine State Police conducted an exhaustive check of the premises both inside and out, although no intruder was present upon their thorough inspection, Shenna Bellows told The Associated Press that her home address was published online "in anger and with violent intent" which culminated in the swatting incident.
Bellows remains steadfast, stating, “Here’s what I’m not doing differently. I’m doing my job to uphold the Constitution, the rule of law.” defying the fear tactics meant to silence her. Meanwhile, the anonymous culprit behind the swatting call remains unidentified, but the Maine State Police are still digging into the case, promising to provide special attention to any appropriate locations.
Shenna Bellows is just the most recent in a series of officials to be targeted by swatting, a malicious act that has also been directed at other high-profile figures like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Maine incident arrives hot on the heels of Bellows' controversial decision, which aligns with a similar ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court regarding Trump's capacity to run for office again. Despite an appeal by Trump's campaign, Bellows has paused the enforcement of her decision, pending further court deliberations. The legal showdown follows the Colorado court's application of the 14th Amendment, invoking a Civil War-era clause aiming to bar those involved in insurrection from holding office.
Bellows has been forthcoming about the pressure and threats she and her staff have been under since she decided to exclude Trump from Maine's ballot. "The non-stop threatening communications the people who work for me endured all day yesterday is unacceptable. It’s designed to scare not only me but also others into silence, to send a message," she affirmed in a statement shared on her Facebook page, obtained by NBC News.
