In an interview with conservative radio last week, Paul LePage made it clear that he does not understand how the State of Maine is fighting on behalf of Maine’s lobster industry, and he was immediately corrected by a representative of the Maine Lobstering Union.
“An intervenor writes a letter. He writes a letter, and then you, you call it a day,” said LePage. “They’re giving lip service.”
LePage is wrong, of course – the State of Maine is a full and equal party to multiple lawsuits against the Federal government, a point made by Ginny Olsen, a representative of the Maine Lobstering Union, on the same radio show immediately after LePage.
[Olsen]: “Even as intervenors, we have substantial legal fees. We have, we're filing the same briefs that MLA and the State of Maine are filing. We are supporting each other, and, most of these cases, they've used a lot of our briefs in their motions. So I think it's been beneficial to have all of us in these filings.”
[Host]: “Got it, OK. That clarifies, that helps us understand…that there's more going on than just—it's more than just signing a piece of paper, and then mailing it, and saying, 'OK, we're done.'”
[Olsen]: “Oh, absolutely, we—all associations, groups, and states have been filing an enormous amount of information.”
LePage has spent the last several weeks lying about Governor Mills’ record of standing up for Maine’s lobster industry, all while apparently not understanding what is going on. It wouldn’t be the first time. LePage sued Governor Mills while she was Attorney General, losing nearly every legal battle.
“As the Maine Lobstering Union makes clear: the State of Maine and the lobster industry are fighting hand-in-glove against the Federal government and it’s beneficial to do so,” said Drew Gattine, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “LePage is either refusing to understand that or he’s purposely mischaracterizing it for his own political gain – either way, it’s unacceptable. Maine people deserve a governor who understands the issues and then fights like hell for them – and that’s Governor Mills.”