When it comes to the aftermath of legal actions surrounding the exclusion of former President Trump from the ballot in Colorado, Secretary of State Jena Griswold finds herself in a perilous situation, facing a relentless barrage of death threats. The Hill reported on Saturday, December 30, 2023, that Griswold revealed the alarming extent of the threats on the platform once known as Twitter.
From the moment the lawsuit resulted in Trump’s removal from the state’s ballot, Griswold disclosed that she received a staggering 64 death threats within just three weeks. Undeterred, she declared her refusal to be intimidated, asserting that democracy and peace will prevail over tyranny and violence.
In her Twitter statement, Griswold shared an article from HuffPost, published the previous week, where she voiced concerns about potential violence linked to the former president. Notably, she clarified that the lawsuit instigating Trump’s exclusion from the ballot originated not from her office but from the watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Expressing solidarity with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who similarly barred Trump from the state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment, Griswold commended Bellows for her independent decision. In an MSNBC interview, Griswold praised Bellows for her courage, emphasizing the significance of making such a decision independently.
Bellows, in a historic move, justified her decision by citing Trump’s dissemination of a false narrative of election fraud, culminating in the events of January 6, 2021. She asserted that Trump’s narrative incited his supporters to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election results and the peaceful transfer of power at the Capitol.
However, Bellows faced consequences for her decision, revealing that she, too, received threats in the aftermath. Speaking on CNN, she acknowledged the preparedness for potential threats and expressed gratitude for the support received from law enforcement and those around her. Safety and security became paramount, not only for herself but for everyone involved in light of the threatening communications they had received.
This disturbing trend of threats against public officials underscores the heightened tensions surrounding issues related to the 2020 election and its aftermath. The legal actions taken by states to address concerns about Trump’s alleged role in the events of January 6 have intensified the already charged political atmosphere. The threats against Secretary Griswold and Secretary Bellows serve as stark reminders of the profound consequences faced by those involved in the pursuit of accountability following the 2020 election.
