Colorado secretary of state calls Trump a ‘liar,’ vows to see ballot lawsuit through

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) called former President Trump a “liar” after he suggested a recent push to use the 14th Amendment to keep him off the ballot in the state was “election interference.”

“Trump is a liar with no respect for the Constitution,” Griswold said in an interview on MSNBC on Saturday. 

“To say that a section of the 14th Amendment is election interference and considering how to uphold the Constitution is election interference is un-American,” she continued. “We know that the former president is a liar who will do everything he can to hold onto power.”

Griswold and Trump were both named in a recent lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which argues that the former president is disqualified from the 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s Section 3 — also dubbed the insurrection clause.

The D.C.-based watchdog group asked the court to find Trump’s alleged actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol disqualifying and to bar Griswold from allowing him on the 2024 Republican primary ballot or any futures ballots in the state.

Griswold added Saturday that she plans to “see this litigation through,” noting that she thinks “it’s good for a court to weigh in” on the issue.

“Section 3 of the 14th Amendment clearly lays out in very clear terms that if someone swears to uphold the Constitution, they are disqualified from holding office if they go and engage in insurrection, rebellion, or aid or comfort to the enemies of the Constitution,” she said.

“And Donald Trump incited an insurrection, and there are big constitutional questions around that provision as to whether he is disqualified from the Colorado ballot,” Griswold continued. “So, we’ll see this litigation through, and ultimately I think it’s important for a court to weigh in to provide guidance.”