Republican Strategist Rick Wilson: Collins’ “bare minimum” effort is “one more flavor of cowardice”
So far in the impeachment trial, Senator Susan Collins has voted with Mitch McConnell nine times to block documents and witnesses at this stage of the Senate impeachment trial, breaking with the 1999 trial process when “every potential witness had already testified at some point.”
In the last impeachment trial Senator Collins advocated for including witness testimony and set a standard of including “witnesses and further evidence [...] to get to the truth.” But now, Collins is voting to block key documents and witness testimony and appears to be more interested in keeping McConnell and Trump happy than fighting for the fair trial that Mainers want.
“When working for [Senator Olympia Snowe], and all the decisions and votes that came across, I never once heard her ask the question, ‘well what will McConnell think about this?’ [...] It’s such a contrast to what we’re seeing right now with Senator Collins who seems to be way more preoccupied with how this is all playing in Washington and not at all worrying about how this is playing in Portland or in Bangor or Lewiston.” -Former Press Secretary for Senator Olympia Snowe Kurt Bardella
“She’s gonna try to do the very bare minimum to keep McConnell and Trump from being angry with her and that bare minimum is insufficient. That bare minimum is not principled, that is one more flavor of cowardice in this case. And it’s one more problem that she’s going to accrue by pretending that these are all procedural votes, that these are nothing burger votes, she’s up for a very sharp shock in that regard I think.” -Republican Strategist Rick Wilson
“Senator Collins cannot credibly claim to be fighting for a fair trial while voting to block evidence and witness testimony,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Mainers are demanding a fair trial, but Senator Collins has chosen to enable Mitch McConell’s cover-up instead.”
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