California Secretary of State Shirley Weber will include former President Trump on her state’s primary ballot despite pressure to remove the Republican presidential frontrunner.
Weber contended that although she deems the previous president’s conduct as “reprehensible and unsettling, constituting an assault on democracy,” she senses a duty to uphold the rule of law and permit Trump’s inclusion on her state’s primary ballot.
“Simultaneously, if I uphold the principles of this democracy, I must consistently adhere to the rule of law. If I were to deviate from that, I would be no more principled than Trump,” Weber conveyed to The Los Angeles Times on Friday. California Secretary of State
Weber conceded that her office collaborated for several months with fellow state and local officials to explore potential legal avenues for removing Trump from the state’s primary ballot.
After extensive deliberation, Weber revealed in her interview with The Los Angeles Times that the examination concluded that the state constitution does not grant her the authority to eliminate Trump from the ballot.
Her commitment to “adhere to the rule of law” stemmed from receiving a letter on December 20 from Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, urging her to “explore every legal option to remove former President Donald Trump from California’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.”
In a subsequent correspondence to Kounalakis, Weber emphasized her responsibility as California’s chief elections officer, emphasizing the necessity to prioritize the “sanctity” of democratic elections over “partisan politics.”
“As the steward of free and fair elections and the democratic process in California, I am compelled to prioritize the sanctity of these elections above partisan politics,” wrote Weber.