All posts tagged "susan collins"

Platner's accuser ran with the playbook that saved Kavanaugh: former GOP operative

One of the three accusers against Graham Platner had a role in helping Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh survive his confirmation fight, according to a former GOP operative.

In the latest episode of his podcast, "Against All Enemies," former GOP operative Rick Wilson detailed the history of Lyndsey Fifield, the ex-girlfriend featured in the New York Times article about Platner's past relationships.

"She's a CPAC person. She's a conservative activist person," Wilson explained. "She ran a group, of course, called Ladies for Kavanaugh, which might have been a giveaway if you thought it through."

Fifield's "most recent gig" is working at the Independent Women's Forum, which Wilson described as "a right-wing group." He added that "this attack coming from this particular person makes a lot of sense."

Wilson played a clip of who he identified as the chair of the IWF publicly boasting how her group wrote a memo "about supporting Kavanaugh without alienating the Me Too movement." Kavanaugh faced a tough confirmation hearing after allegations of sexual assault against him surfaced.

"We wrote a memo. It was used by a lot of members of the Senate and the House and Fox News and elsewhere," the speaker said in the clip. "But most important is Susan Collins told me that without that memo, she could not have seen how to support him, and if you look at her speech that she gave on the Senate floor, it is entirely the playing out and architecture of how we structured the argument."

Platner is running to beat Sen. Collins (R-ME) and win a seat that will be critical to helping Democrats take back control of the Senate.

Wilson ties the connections together, saying Fifield is "the woman who ran Ladies for Kavanaugh, who works for Independent Women's Forum that provided Susan Collins with all of her talking points about Brett Kavanaugh and how she could support Brett."

He added that the attack against Platner resembles the kind of political hit he would have carried out.

"That's precisely the kind of thing I was extremely good at doing when I was a Republican," Wilson said. "That is precisely the kind of thing I would engineer and stage and find somebody who would go out and be the face of it."

MAGA Hit Jobs and How To Beat Them by Rick Wilson

Breaking down last night's results

Read on Substack

James Carville blames Graham Platner's scandals on GOP opponent's past

As people debate whether Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is fit for office, political strategist James Carville threw all of the embattled Democratic nominee's baggage on the lap of his GOP opponent.

Platner won the Democratic primary for the Maine Senate race, but not before wading through hot water over a slew of allegations about a Nazi tattoo, sexting with other women while married, and acting aggressively towards his ex-girlfriends, which he disputes.

Carville jumped to his defense during an interview with journalist Chris Cuomo, and said that Platner's troubles stem from decisions made by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Platner will square off against Sen. Collins for a critical Senate seat that could help the party steal a majority from the GOP.

"First of all, four combat deployments," Carville said, speaking about Platner. "In all of the deployments, you know what all four have in common? These were wars that Susan Collins supported."

Carville expects that those deployments "would have some kind of effect on your mentality," he said, and blamed the toll of that combat for the scandals plaguing Platner's campaign today.

"That's the larger issue," Carville said. "He's dealing with this from Susan Collins' wars."

Voters understand that, Carville explained. He expects that voters would therefore think, "Well, I would be radicalized myself if something like that happened," Carville said.

"And maybe it would be a good idea in the United States Senate to have a veteran who has struggled with mental issues and put him on the Veterans Affairs Committee because he's not the only veteran," Carville said. "He's not the only combat veteran that's profoundly affected by what happened to them during these wars."

Graham Platner's troubles deepen as wife's warning about explicit texts surfaces

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner sank deeper into hot water as his wife revealed that she found sexually explicit texts on his phone, per reporting by the Wall Street Journal.

Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, told his Senate campaign about the texts with several different women, insider sources told the WSJ. Gertner discovered the texts in spring 2025, and in August, she told an aide whom she considered a friend, while the campaign was doing opposition research on Platner, the WSJ reported.

Campaign aides told Gertner that they didn't expect the messages to be a problem as it was a "private matter," according to the WSJ, which mentioned that the couple had been undergoing counseling.

"We did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren't easy," Gertner said in a statement provided to the WSJ by Platner's campaign. "Our marriage today is stronger than ever before."

Platner, who's hoping to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), is already dealing with controversy surrounding his Nazi-linked tattoo, past remarks about sexual assault victims, and posts from his deleted Reddit account, which included "lenient views on infidelity," the WSJ report noted.

Trump 'at war with Senate Republicans' will need a favor from GOP lawmaker he betrayed

President Donald Trump's move to push out a longtime Republican ally could backfire — because he now needs his help, according to reports on Friday.

Burgess Everett, Semafor congressional bureau chief, pointed out that as Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation as director of national intelligence, it has left three openings for the Trump administration to fill all while he navigates a more tense relationship with GOP lawmakers in the economic fallout over the Iran war, the White House ballroom funding and his controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

"Upshot from Gabbard resigning: Trump now has three Cabinet vacancies (Labor, AG) while he's basically at war with Senate Republicans," Everett wrote in a post on X.

"And confirming a new DNI will require the votes of Sens. Collins and ... Cornyn in Senate Intelligence Committee, whom Trump just snubbed," Everett added.

Interim leaders have been tapped to run the Labor Department and Justice Department until Trump names new nominees to the roles.

"Acting attorney general Todd Blanche faces a tough road to confirmation if Trump nominates him to a permanent role," according to a Semafor report.

"Any Gabbard replacement would have to get approval from the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose members include moderate Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who has voted against several Trump nominees and priorities, as well as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, recently snubbed by Trump in his primary. Gabbard’s successor would need both of their votes — and confirming her was a challenge to begin with at the peak of Trump’s power," Semafor reported.

'Take the hint': Senate GOP leaders openly hope Trump shuts up about vulnerable Republican

Senate GOP leaders are hoping that Trump will stop badmouthing a Republican they need to keep a majority, according to a new report.

Punchbowl News reported on Friday that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) had kind words for Vice President JD Vance, and GOP leaders hope it's a sign the White House won't attack her.

"Collins is the only Republican who can win in a state as unique as Maine," Punchbowl News noted. "A Democratic victory here in November would bring Republicans dangerously close to losing the majority."

Trump has raged against Collins for breaking with her party. Still, GOP leaders continue to see her as "largely a team player," and are hoping "the president would take the hint and resist his urge to slam Collins," Punchbowl News added.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also "given wide latitude" to Collins to break from the party.

Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth term in November and faces a competitive race that could determine which party controls the Senate. Maine is the only state with a Republican incumbent that Vice President Kamala Harris carried in 2024, and Sabato's Crystal Ball moved the race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss-up" in October.

Collins is now expected to face Graham Platner, a combat veteran turned oyster farmer endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, after Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign on April 30, citing fundraising shortfalls. Recent polls had shown Platner leading Mills by double digits before her exit.

GOP senators put Trump on notice as Iran war hits critical deadline

GOP senators are considering whether to throw their support behind a resolution to end hostilities in Iran as a critical deadline approaches.

“If there are military hostilities beyond the 60 days, Congress has to authorize them, or Congress can block them," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said on Tuesday, according to a NOTUS report. "But Congress has to act."

The war in Iran will reach the 60-day mark on Friday. The 1973 War Powers Act forces the president to secure congressional authorization to carry on hostilities, NOTUS reported.

The GOP isn't on the same page about whether they should use their majority in both chambers to allow Trump to continue the conflict. Collins, the Senate Appropriations Chair, said that she would support a resolution to end the war.

Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) was also quoted as being uncomfortable with the ongoing war without a congressional vote and said he likewise would side with Collins and support a resolution to stop U.S. military action in Iran.

Democrats have failed to bring five such resolutions, even with the support of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), NOTUS noted.

“I am not opposed to a resolution,” Curtis said to NOTUS. “I want to obviously see what’s in it.”

Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley echoed the concern about resuming U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval.

“Let’s hope that there’s not just stasis, that just nothing happens between now and the end of the month,” he said to NOTUS.

GOP senator grills surgeon general nominee over her use of psychedelic drugs

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) had some serious questions for surgeon general nominee Casey Means Wednesday during a Senate hearing over her open use of psychedelics.

Collins raised concerns during the hearing about Means' comments on psychedelic drugs, with the lawmaker citing how "addiction and drug overdoses are a major problem for families and communities in my state of Maine and across the nation."

"I am concerned that in your book on 'Good Energy' that you urged readers to consider psilocybin-assisted therapy," Collins said. "You also said you were inspired to try psychedelics and what I can only describe as an internal voice that whispered 'it's time to prepare.' Illicit drug use remains a huge problem in this country. This didn't happen in your teen years. According to your book, in 2021 you began using illicit psychedelic mushrooms. So my questions to you are twofold. One, do you stand by what you said in your book encouraging people to try psychedelics? And second, as surgeon general, should you be confirmed, how would you speak to the American people about the use of illicit drugs?"

Means described her experience and explained that she had used it for personal and spiritual purposes, acknowledging that illicit drug use remains a serious problem across the US.

"This is a very important question, and I would start by just saying that I believe what I would say as a private citizen is in many cases different from what I would say as a public health official," Means said.

"Joining a team where the purpose of this role is to communicate the absolute best evidence-based science to the American people to keep them safe, thriving, and healthy," she added. "When it comes to psychedelic therapy for mental health issues, I think the science is still emerging. So it would certainly not be a recommendation to the American people to do that, under no circumstances. I do believe that there is exciting work being done in this area that needs to continue on psychedelic therapies for PTSD in veterans, for mental health issues. And some of the researchers who are doing this work have said it is the most promising and exciting of their entire career. I look forward to following that, but to be clear, under no circumstances would I recommend that to the American people in this role."

Collins again pressed her on what she meant by a voice saying "it's time to prepare" in her book.

"In that passage of the book I'm referring to my mother's passing, which happened — she got a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer about a week after that experience," Means said. "In my meditations and prayers at that time I was having a deep sense that something ominous was coming. That is what that is referring to. I think when I speak of spirituality, I do believe Americans are ready to hear about spirituality as it pertains to medicine, 80% of Americans are spiritual or religious. There is amazing evidence out of Columbia University, the lab of Dr. Lisa Miller, that spirituality has a large impact on health outcomes. Certainly that is a personal anecdote, but I come again, and committed to sharing only the best, solid signs with Americans on how to be healthy."

Dems look to shatter 'mirage' of 'out of touch' GOP senator seeking re-election

The Democratic Party could rid the Senate of a GOP candidate seeking re-election by highlighting the shortcomings of said candidate.

Some Dem representatives believe they can offer a stronger alternative in the midterms this year as they look to push Senator Susan Collins out of contention. The veteran GOP rep has held the Maine Senate seat since 1997, but the 2026 midterms could see a shift in favor of the Democratic Party.

Lauren French, a Senate Majority PAC spokesperson, believes removing Collins from her seat at the upcoming election relies on highlighting the Maine veteran's closeness to Donald Trump's administration.

"Collins has won because she crafted an ‘independent’ image," French told The Hill. "It was a mirage. Whenever she could have meaningfully stood against Trump, she folded.

"Mainers deserve a senator who’s fighting for them, not someone who’s complacent, cautious, and out of touch."

Collins has tackled the closer ties to Trump by asking would-be voters to focus on her voting record, rather than party ties to the president. She said, "Can I get my constituents, who I’ve worked so hard for, to focus on my record and my accomplishments for them?"

"The Democrats are trying very hard to make this a referendum on Donald Trump." Collins officially launched her bid for re-election yesterday, saying, "This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running."

Trump has already made it clear he fears the results of the midterm elections, airing a worry of impeachment in a statement given last month.

Even with that fear, it appears Trump has not been clear with the GOP or SuperPACs on how best to go about campaigning for the impending election.

The 79-year-old president has amassed a $300 million midterm war chest, but the GOP campaign committee and other entities still don't know how he plans to allocate those funds — while would-be donors wait for his endorsements for Senate primaries in Georgia and Texas, according to the Washington Post.

"People who have spoken with Trump about these obstacles said he at times can sound detached and noncommittal about his plans for spending and endorsements," the Post reported. "One person close to the White House said some days the president seems not to care."

Ex-GOP operative slams GOP senator for running again: 'Dazzlingly cynical' Trump enabler

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson called a longtime GOP senator who announced her campaign for reelection Tuesday "the worst of the worst" and said she was deserving of defeat.

In his Substack, the co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project described how Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has continued to support President Donald Trump despite everything that has happened under Trump and how even her own staff was shocked when she was reelected in 2020 after the Lincoln Project and other activists attempted to unseat her.

"The normies who stuck with Trump after the first term, the COVID deaths, the electoral massacre, the endless chain of crimes and corruption, and now, the Epstein Coverup have a poster girl, and it’s Susan Collins," Wilson wrote.

"Susan Collins is the worst of the worst because she plays moral, normal, and centrist on the Sunday shows while empowering, enabling, and embracing Donald Trump every time she thinks she can get away with it," Wilson wrote.

Collins released an op-ed in Bangor Daily News on Tuesday announcing her campaign to seek reelection, and Wilson disagreed with her claims that she is "independent" and that she should remain on Capitol Hill.

"Her career has become a transactional loop where Mitch McConnell or John Thune dangles the keys to the Appropriations Committee goodie room, showering Maine with infrastructure pork and 'targeted investments,' and in exchange, Susan provides the pivotal 'aye' for the most destructive elements of the MAGA agenda," Wilson wrote.

"She isn’t 'bringing both sides together'; she’s selling her vote to the highest bidder in the Republican leadership, trading the fundamental rights of Maine women and the integrity of the federal judiciary for a few hundred million in earmarks," Wilson added. "Forget the aw shuck granny in tennis shoes riff; Collins is dazzlingly cynical, a contestant in D.C.’s version of 'Let’s Make a Deal' where the prize is a new bridge, and the cost is the very democracy she pretends to protect."

If elected in November, this would be Collins' sixth term in office as Republicans show growing concern over her seat, which Democrats have eyed as a way to take control of the Senate, according to The New York Times.

MAGA fans lash out at 'traitor' GOP senator over latest ICE announcement

MAGA loyalists were furious Thursday after Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that the Trump administration has pulled Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from its surge in Maine.

Collins said that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed her the administration was backing off its enforcement operation amid bipartisan backlash against aggressive ICE actions after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota and the arrests of legal immigrants in Maine.

"While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine," Collins wrote on X.

MAGA followers on social media had a sharp response to the update and unleashed their responses at Collins.

"You’re a disgrace to the Republican Party! A real traitor," user George G., who has described himself as "MAGA all the way!" wrote on X.

"This is a betrayal of your voters if true," Jared Howe, HVAC specialist, wrote on X.

"Treasonous traitor," pro-MAGA user MJTruthUltra wrote on X.

"You are a communist scumbag," user Banjew George wrote on X.

"They should've stayed long enough to investigate you," user Chicago1Ray, who has described himself as "MAGA 100%" wrote on X.

"Resign," user Charlie Heidel wrote on X.

"You should resign immediately!! You are failing the people of Maine!!" User Roy Wimbish wrote on X.