Former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax on Thursday that the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot next November is "a complete farce."
"Simply put, this Colorado case took a duty of the secretary of state and had a weeklong, slapdash hearing where Donald Trump wasn't allowed to call witnesses, subpoena witnesses. No discovery was allowed. And then, based on that one-week hearing, they determined that he was an insurrectionist and, therefore, ineligible under the 14th Amendment, Section 3 to be on the ballot in Colorado," Whitaker said during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show."
"It's a complete farce and a complete ignoring of the rule of law and what actually these judges should be doing," he said. "And remember, this is keeping a presidential candidate — a former president of the United States — off the ballot by a 4-3 vote of Democrats. I mean, that should tell you everything you need to know. And what happens when the next Supreme Court in some other state determines that, actually, this ... doesn't apply to Donald Trump?
"I mean, we're going to have chaos. And the American people rightly should be shaking their head just wondering where are the statesmen?" he continued. "Where are the stateswomen? Where are conservatives, to your point? Where is this next generation?
"It seems like all we have is a bunch of baby boomers that oftentimes don't want to exit their political, cushy roles. And so this is what you end up with. But there's so much going on right now ... I'm sure the American people are so frustrated. I talk to them every day as I travel this country, and they just want the rule of law to be appreciated."
In a historic judgment, Colorado's top court ruled Tuesday that Trump cannot appear on the ballot in the Centennial State in the 2024 election due to his alleged incitement of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
The Colorado justices based their decision on a rarely used provision of the Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding office. Trump becomes the first presidential candidate in U.S. history to be deemed ineligible for the White House under the ruling, which will likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the court's majority wrote. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."
The Colorado court stayed its own ruling until Jan. 4, 2024, to allow time for appeals to be filed.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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