Despite Independent Reporting that Shows the Administration Failed to Prepare, Applauds How Trump Has Handled Outbreak
As Governor Mills Makes Urgent Requests for PPE, Implies Maine Asked for Too Much
Still Won’t Say If She Voted for the President in March Primary
In an interview with the Bangor Daily News, Senator Susan Collins made a series of eye-popping statements, from applauding the president’s haphazard and dangerous response to the coronavirus crisis to implying Maine asked for too much personal protective equipment. Here are the top three takeaways:
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“The president did a lot that was right in the beginning.”
Despite extensive independent reporting that continues to illustrate how the Trump Administration failed to prepare for and respond to this outbreak, Senator Collins applauded his work, saying: “The president did a lot that was right in the beginning.” The fact is President Trump downplayed the threat of the virus when he should have been ramping up production of testing and protective equipment nationwide.
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“The fact is that Maine requested far more masks than Florida did.”
As the oldest state in the nation, roughly half of Mainers are considered high risk for developing a serious illness if they are diagnosed with coronavirus, but Senator Collins justified the Trump administration’s decision to send Maine a fraction of the protective equipment that Governor Mills requested by arguing that Maine requested more masks than other states.
Consider that comment in light of what Governor Mills told NPR yesterday: “We still desperately need more PPE and testing materials. We’ve ordered from private companies, but we still only received a fraction of what we need.”
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“She again refused to say if she voted for Trump in his unopposed Republican primary in Maine.”
Finally, Collins again refused to say whether she voted for President Trump in last month’s presidential primary. This comes after months of Collins dodging the question of whether she supports his reelection. It’s clear that she is unwilling to be held accountable for her presidential vote.
“Senator Collins is defending President Trump instead of standing up for Maine,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Our focus should be on getting Mainers the resources and equipment we need -- not explaining away the president’s failure to handle this crisis.”
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