Sara Gideon, the Maine House speaker who is running to challenge Sen. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsRepublicans prepare to punt on next COVID-19 relief bill Trump tweets spark fresh headache for Republicans Trump’s tweet on protester sparks GOP backlash MORE (R-Maine) in November, said she would have voted to convict President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE in the Senate’s impeachment trial and slammed Collins for saying she would vote for acquittal.
Gideon said she believed Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals and that Collins was “complicit” in letting him off the hook.
“Based on the information included as part of the impeachment trial, I believe an abuse of power occurred and I would vote to remove the President,” Gideon said in a statement.
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“[Collins’s] decision to acquit despite the case against the President and without hearing more of the facts again reveals her commitment to standing with [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote GOP senator to try to reverse requirement that Pentagon remove Confederate names from bases No, ‘blue states’ do not bail out ‘red states’ MORE and Donald Trump,” she added. “This was not the process that Mainers and Americans deserved, and Senator Collins was complicit in letting that happen.”
Gideon also slammed Senate Republicans for voting down a Democratic measure to allow further witness testimony in the chamber’s impeachment trial.
Democrats had clamored to hear from current and former administration members after new evidence arose following the December House vote to impeach Trump on two articles.
“Like a lot of Mainers, I believe we needed to hear from relevant witnesses and to consider all evidence as part of this process,” said Gideon. “I also believe that if President Trump was so confident in his innocence then both he and Republicans in the Senate would have gladly allowed that testimony to occur.”
Collins and Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyMilley discussed resigning from post after Trump photo-op: report Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names Attorney says 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police suffered brain injury MORE (R-Utah) were the only two Republicans to vote with Democrats to support testimony from new witnesses.
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The statement comes after Collins, widely regarded as a key swing vote, announced on the Senate floor Tuesday that she would vote to acquit Trump this week.
“I do not believe that the House has met its burden of showing that the president’s conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of immediate removal from office,” Collins said from the Senate floor before adding that his dealings with Ukraine were “improper” and “demonstrated very poor judgment.”
The House voted in December largely along party lines to impeach Trump for abuse of power over his pressure campaign on Kyiv and obstruction of Congress for working to hinder House probes into his actions toward Ukraine.
Democrats are likely to highlight impeachment in the race against Collins as they work to underscore her votes confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett KavanaughBrett Michael KavanaughGOP senators urge Trump to back off Murkowski threat Judd Gregg: A government in free fall The 7 most anticipated Supreme Court decisions MORE and supporting Trump’s tax plan.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the Maine Senate race as a “toss up.”
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