Sen. Patrick: Senate Ethics Committee must investigate abuse of reimbursements by 2 GOP senators

AUGUSTA — Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford, called Monday for the Senate President to convene the Senate Conduct and Ethics Committee to investigate fraudulent reimbursements paid to two members of the Senate: Senate Majority Leader Andre Cushing of Newport and Senator Ronald Collins of Wells.

“This activity amounts to thousands of stolen taxpayer dollars,” said Sen. Patrick, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which oversees elections and campaign finance. “Mainers must be assured that crooked politicians aren’t pocketing their money under the guise of routine reimbursement requests.”

The legislative reimbursement program is meant to cover personal expenses incurred by legislators for travel, lodging and meals associated with their legislative business. However, Maine Ethics Commission filings and reimbursement requests reveal that Sen. Cushing received taxpayer-funded reimbursements worth $3,100 to cover travel around the country that had been paid for by his leadership PAC, Respect Maine PAC. These dubious reimbursements were separate and apart from alleged improprieties involving his PAC and several family owned businesses recently reported by the Portland Press Herald. Those allegations are the subject of a complaint filed by Sen. Cushing’s sister with the independent Maine Ethics Commission.

Sen. Collins also filed for and received taxpayer money amounting to $2,400 for money spent by his Senate campaign committee, under the guise of reimbursements for lodging at The Senator Inn.

“These shady financial transactions shouldn’t just bother taxpayers, they should bother the Maine men, women and businesses who donated to these PACs,” Patrick said. “They didn’t fork over their hard-earned money so that Sen. Cushing and Sen. Collins could enrich themselves and swindle the taxpayer.”

“It’s my hope that Senate President Michael Thibodeau will convene the Senate Conduct and Ethics Committee to investigate these transactions and determine what action is needed to safeguard public funds, and the public trust,” Sen. Patrick said.

Documentation:

• Campaign finance disclosures and legislative reimbursement records for Sen. Cushing (click here);
• Campaign finance disclosures and legislative reimbursement records for Sen. Collins (click here);
• Letter from Sen. Patrick to Senate President Thibodeau, requesting convening of Senate Committeee on Conduct and Ethics (click here). 

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