Augusta, ME – Today, new reporting in the Daily Beast reveals that after voting to block the release of the Epstein files, Susan Collins has accepted “millions in campaign cash from wealthy donors and powerful figures linked to Jeffrey Epstein.”
Read more here:
The Daily Beast: Embattled Republican Senator Blasted Over ‘Epstein Donors’
By Farrah Tomazin
August 31, 2026
Republican Sen. Susan Collins has accepted millions in campaign cash from wealthy donors and powerful figures linked to Jeffrey Epstein—an awkward revelation as she fights to hold on to her Senate seat in the midterms.
Federal filings show that Collins and her political committees have spent years taking money from people with ties to the notorious child sex trafficker, including Jay Lefkowitz, the lawyer who helped secure Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal, and Trump ally Leon Black, who paid Epstein $158 million for “tax, estate planning, and other related services.”
The revelations open another front in the battle for Maine, where Democrats see an opportunity to flip one of the country’s most competitive seats.
“After 30 years in D.C., Susan Collins has stopped fighting for Mainers and taken the side of the billionaires and the Epstein class,” said Misha Linnehan, spokesperson for the Maine Democratic Party.
“That’s why she voted against releasing the Epstein files, and it’s why Jeffrey Epstein’s wealthy associates are funding her campaign.” […]
Collins voted against procedural efforts to force the release of the Epstein files in 2025, before later supporting legislation requiring their release.
Federal election filings show that Wasserman, who reportedly flew on Epstein’s plane and exchanged sexually explicit emails with his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, donated about $10,000 to Collins’ campaign.
Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, who was associated with Epstein through New York’s exclusive Core Club, has given $3 million to Pine Tree Results, the super PAC supporting Collins.
In addition, Elon Musk gave Collins $2,800; Thiel donated $2,300; and Lefkowitz donated a relatively small amount of $334 to Collins’ campaign in 2007—the same year Epstein was negotiating the controversial non-prosecutorial agreement that allowed him to avoid federal charges over the sexual abuse of minors.
In addition, Elon Musk gave Collins $2,800; Thiel donated $2,300; and Lefkowitz donated a relatively small amount of $334 to Collins’ campaign in 2007—the same year Epstein was negotiating the controversial non-prosecutorial agreement that allowed him to avoid federal charges over the sexual abuse of minors.
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