Bangor Daily News AUGUSTA, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined two other GOP senators in criticizing the president this week after he publicly asked the Chinese government to investigate a political opponent while talking to reporters outside the White House this week.
The Maine senator was unequivocal in her statements, which came after a firefighters memorial service in Augusta on Saturday morning, joining Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, in breaking rank with GOP support for the president.
“I thought the president made a big mistake by asking China to get involved in investigating a political opponent,” Collins said. “It’s completely inappropriate.”
The president’s comments came days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, announced a formal impeachment probe into his attempt to solicit foreign help in an election, which is illegal and considered by many lawmakers to be a foundational threat to democracy.
Collins reiterated that she would not offer comment on the evidence, saying that not all of it is in yet, and that she hopes the impeachment process “will be done with the seriousness that any impeachment proceeding deserves.”