Maine Democrats and former state officials are among those calling for answers about new corruption allegations against Sen. Susan Collins, and why the Trump administration shut them down.
ProPublica reported Tuesday that federal investigators had been investigating an alleged pay to play arrangement involving Collins and a major campaign donor, but that the investigation was cut short after Pres. Donald Trump returned to office and fired or pushed out agents and Justice Department attorneys working on public corruption cases.
Former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Wednesday that the dismantling of the unit could leave the public without definitive answers about the allegations.
“At a very minimum, Sen. Collins and every other elected official had an obligation to speak out, if not outright block the termination and the dismantling of this public integrity unit,” Shah said. “It also happens to mean that in this situation, we may never truly find out what is at the heart of these allegations because they will not get a chance to be vetted.”
Collins and her staff have denied wrongdoing, and her campaign is using the scandal to fundraise. In emails to her list this week, Collins’ campaign accused the “Radical Left” of mounting a “coordinated attack.”
But ProPublica reported Thursday that Collins and her team are referring to the wrong investigation.. Records reviewed by the outlet showed agents remained interested in the conduct of Collins and her staff into early 2025, when the investigation was shut down under Trump.
“There’s a lot that’s new in the ProPublica piece this week — shocking revelations that we are learning for the first time,” state Sen. Jill Duson said Wednesday. “But the fact that Susan Collins is beholden to wealthy donors is not one of those.”
The allegations come less than six weeks before Collins faces Democratic former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson in November.
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