protected interests” amounts to a cognizable § 1983 claim. Perry v. Sindermann, 408 U.S. 593, 597, 92 S.Ct. 2694, 33 L.Ed.2d 570 (1972). In our view, however, Speaker Eves “cannot plausibly urge that [Gover nor LePage] had no valid ... reason” for interfering with GWH’s hiring decisions, in the specific context of this case. Wood v. Moss, — U.S. -, 134 S.Ct. 2056, 2070, 188 L.Ed.2d 1039 (2014). The qualified immunity test for government officials is objective, rather than subjective; we focus on what a. reasonable governor could have believed,, not on allegations about what Governor LePage actually believed. See Messerschmidt v. Millender, 565 U.S. 535, 132 S.Ct. 1235, 1245, 182 L.Ed.2d 47 (2012); Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 817-19, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982) (<HOLDING>); Matalon v. Hynnes, 806 F.3d 627, 633 (1st
holding that mere allegations of bad faith or pretext do not suffice without allegations of objectively and clearly wrongful conduct and thereby abrogating scheuer v rhodes 416 us 232 94 sct 1683 40 led2d 90 1974 holding that allegations against nondiverse defendants must be factual not conclusory because conclusory allegations do not state a claim holding that plaintiff failed to establish pretext where plaintiff was terminated after the employer conducted an investigation into a subordinates allegations of misconduct on the part of the plaintiff and believed the allegations to be true even though plaintiff presented evidence in the lawsuit that the allegations may have been false holding that evidence of other allegations of torture was inadmissible in part because it was not similar to the allegations made by defendant holding that plaintiffs bare allegations of malice do not suffice particularly where such allegations are contradicted by plaintiffs own claims that defendants actions were financially motivated