From Salon:
The American Democracy Legal Fund (ADLF) sent a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee asking to open an investigation into allegations that Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — a Republican who faces a tight re-election battle this fall — used her office to financially benefit her husband and, subsequently, herself.
The charges, laid out in the letter and exclusively obtained by Salon, are informed by a recent HuffPost article reporting that Collins — who now trails Democrat Sara Gideon in most polls, in one of the most closely-watched races in the country — has advocated and voted for policies that benefited her husband's consulting and lobbying business.
"This is a clear pattern of unethical and corrupt behavior by Sen. Susan Collins and the Senate Ethics Committee must begin an immediate investigation into her abuse of office," ADLF's Brad Woodhouse told Salon in a statement. "We are in the middle of a pandemic that has cost more than 180,000 Americans their lives, and instead of focusing on helping her constituents, Sen. Collins is using her office to enrich herself and her husband. This blatant corruption must be thoroughly investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee."
Give the full article a read. We’ll see if this comes up in tonight’s debate:
The four contenders for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat will appear together in a debate for the first time on Friday, offering voters a chance to hear directly from the candidates on issues after months of relentless attack ads and carefully crafted campaign messaging.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Sara Gideon, are engaged in a high-stakes campaign battle that has drawn enormous attention and funding from out-of-state interests. The pair will be joined by two independents, Lisa Savage and Max Linn, who could affect the outcome of Maine’s ranked-choice election.
Sponsored jointly by the Portland Press Herald, the Bangor Daily News and News Center Maine, the debate, starting at 7 p.m., will be televised live as the four candidates gather – safely distanced from one another – for the first time with less than two months before the Nov. 3 elections.
Let’s keep up the momentum to flip Maine Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Gideon, Biden and their fellow Maine Democrats campaigns:
Sara Gideon
Joe Biden
Jared Golden