Three quarters of Maine's congressional delegation have offered muted or no response to the third criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump, this time on charges stemming from his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
All four members of the delegation supported impeaching Trump two years ago and directly blamed him for a campaign of falsehoods that inspired the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
But a day after a federal grand jury indicted the former president on four charges that hold him criminally responsible for that conduct, only one member of the delegation openly praised it.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, of Maine's 1st District, described the indictment as an unprecedented response to Trump's unprecedented crimes.
"At present, the leader of the Republican Party and the overwhelming frontrunner to be that party’s nominee for President next year, is facing three separate criminal indictments totaling over 70 state and federal charges," Pingree said in a statement. "It is unfathomable, and itself an indictment of the Republican party. But today, at long last, our nation sees a possibility of accountability for Donald Trump. I thank the prosecutor Mr. (Jack) Smith and the members of the grand jury for their courage. Justice can only survive if our highest leaders face accountability for their crimes. Today’s indictment shows the enduring strength of our rule of law."
Reusing a statement he provided after Trump's second indictment, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, of Maine's more conservative 2nd District, said that no one is above the law but that judgment will be determined by the legal process.
"Our legal system is built upon the principle of innocence until proven guilty and we should let the process play out without bias or political interference," Golden said in a statement.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine made a similar statement to reporters during an event in Brewer Wednesday.
"Obviously, President Trump is entitled to his day in court," she said. "The piling up of indictments increases his legal jeopardy, but we haven't heard his defense in court. And fortunately, this is something for our courts to decide. He is entitled to a presumption of innocence, as is anyone who has been charged. And we'll just have to see what happens."
Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King's office did not respond to a request for an interview, but he has previously said that Trump has a right to present his defense.
Taken together, the responses highlight the politics of Trump's ongoing legal problems as he eyes a return to the White House in 2025, as well as his iron grip on a consequential slice of the electorate that views him as infallible and the victim of multiple conspiracies. That view, present throughout Trump's presidency, has endured since his defeat in 2020 and despite facing dozens of state and federal charges in multiple prosecutorial jurisdictions.
His legal troubles could play out during the 2024 presidential campaign — and soon expand if he's indicted by a grand jury in Georgia over his alleged attempts to reverse that state's election results in 2020.
Nevertheless, a recent New York Times/Sienna College poll showed him with a 37-point lead over his leading GOP primary challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The survey showed the former president is benefiting from a loyal base of supporters that is narrowing the path of challengers even though it doesn't represent a majority of the Republican primary electorate.
