AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Republican Party is denying involvement with a secretive website that’s attacked progressive candidates, including one defeated in the recent Lewiston mayoral race.
The Maine Examiner website has come under scrutiny because its operators have refused to identify themselves.
Recently discovered metadata and error logs from the site have been linked to Maine GOP executive director Jason Savage.
Savage has not addressed his role with the site, and until Friday, the GOP has said little about its involvement, although the party has amplified the site’s stories.
In a statement, GOP chairwoman Demi Kouzounas said the site was not an asset of the party or funded by it.
Her statement did not address Savage’s metadata, or digital fingerprints, on the site.
Kouzounas also dismissed a complaint by the Maine Democratic Party that the GOP may have violated campaign finance laws by not disclosing expenditures made through the site to influence the Lewiston mayoral race.
The Maine Ethics Commission is set to review that complaint during its Feb. 22 meeting.