Wyoming election chief mounts full-court press against 'radical left's' push to remove Trump from ballot

 Wyoming's Republican Secretary of State has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of former President Trump's remaining on the Colorado ballot, and he's calling on his counterparts across the country to help end the "weaponization" of the 14th Amendment. Are requesting.

"As Secretaries of State, we must stop the radical left's un-American and unconstitutional efforts to weaponize the 14th Amendment against Trump and the American people. And we will keep working as we must to ensure that Trump is ousted. Ballots,” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Thursday.

Gray's amicus brief, also known as a "friend of the court" brief, is the only brief filed by a Secretary of State explicitly in support of Trump remaining on the ballot, unlike other secretaries who have filed briefs with the Supreme Court. Briefs were filed but not argued on behalf of either party, while Gray, as petitioner, argued in support of Trump.

Wyoming Republicans argue that there was no participation in the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and that the 14th Amendment cannot be invoked to prevent Trump from voting because he was not an officer of the United States, but the President.

"The notion that the President is not an 'officer of the United States' is strange in modern colloquial speech. But the phrase has a specific meaning that clearly excludes the President, reinforced by decades of precedent. Colorado The Supreme Court erred in drawing conclusions contrary to this long-held understanding,” the amicus brief provided to Fox News Digital states.

America First Legal, a conservative legal group led by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, filed an amicus brief on Gray's behalf, with the group's vice president praising the Republican secretary of state for her commitment to "the rule of law."

"The Colorado Supreme Court's decision is completely inconsistent with the text and historical interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Secretary Gray is an American patriot committed to the rule of law, and we are proud to be able to file this We are thrilled to receive their brief,” Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

A group of Colorado voters filed a lawsuit arguing that Trump should be deemed ineligible to hold political office under the Civil War-era Insurrection Clause and thus prevent his name from appearing on the 2024 ballot. must be given. The group said that Trump's actions on January 6, 2021, when supporters breached the U.S. Capitol, violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prohibits officials of the United States, members of Congress, or state legislatures from inciting "insurrection." or involved in rebellion" were barred from holding political office under the Constitution.

House, Senate GOP leaders urge SCOTUS to stop 'dangerous precedent', defend Trump's ballot access

The Colorado Supreme Court ultimately ruled to bar Trump from voting, with the justices writing in their opinion that Trump "incited and encouraged" the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. " Did.

"Even though the President was an 'officer of the United States,'" Gray's brief says, "Former President Trump did not commit either of the two acts described in Section 3 – 'insurrection or rebellion against the United States. Engaging in' giving aid or comfort to the enemies of the State or the United States. Each of these impeachable offenses is different and each involves its own elements."

Gray said the brief outlines that the Colorado Supreme Court's decision is "baseless" and "should be dismissed."

"President Trump should be on the ballot and the Supreme Court should be very clear on this. And I think we need that kind of leadership from the secretaries of state. And that's why we partnered with America First Legal We really appreciate that Gene Hamilton and Jeff Stone...they have really brilliant legal minds and are focused on ensuring election integrity,” Gray told Fox News Digital.

Before the state Supreme Court's decision, Gray had filed a separate amicus brief with the court seeking to correct a state lower court ruling that Trump labeled an "insurrectionist" in connection with the January 6 protests at the U.S. Capitol. Also in the summer, Gray noticed that there might be efforts to remove Trump from the primary ballots and sent a letter to the Secretary of State in New Hampshire warning him against such a move.

"We've been on this from the beginning. We saw it coming. As an observer since 2015, you can see where the radical left was going to try to go with this, because it's so consistent with their vision now." Have been for a decade. [They're] trying to do everything they can to stop America First's policies and stop President Trump," Gray told Fox in a Thursday interview.

Trump asks Supreme Court to keep name on Colorado ballot

More than 170 Republican House and Senate leaders also filed an amicus brief in support of Trump's case before the Supreme Court on Thursday, Fox News Digital reported. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., filed briefs arguing the Colorado court's decision "encroaches" on Congress's powers.

Cruz said, "The radical left continues to do exactly what they claim their opponents are doing. While President Biden and his allies claim they are protecting democracy, his supporters are targeting Biden's potential general election opponent. are working to undermine democracy by restricting them from appearing on the ballot." said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The American people understand this, and I'm confident the Supreme Court will understand this as well."