Ad repeats previously debunked claims that Susan Collins passed a bill to enrich her husband — before they were even married
BANGOR, Maine – Today, Collins for Senator slammed an 11th-hour attack from WinSenate, a super-PAC run by Chuck Schumer.
Here’s what the ad says:
“You know, Susan Collins has been getting very rich since she’s been in Congress. She’s a changed person. Senator Collins got herself put onto a new committee. Then she used her new position to rewrite federal contracting rules, which benefited her husband’s company to the tune of $75 million. The old saying, power corrupts. It’s, it’s true. Susan Collins is not working for working class people. Winston is responsible for the content of this ad.”
What the ad fails to note is these claims were already debunked by independent fact checkers in 2020: Claim that Maine Sen. Susan Collins acted to help her husband’s firm falls short
The ad does not make clear what legislation it is referring to, but it appears to be the the bipartisan Accountability in Government Contracting Act of 2007 – which was a bill to boost competition and transparency in the government contracting process and was passed with the support of every single Senator, including Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. It strengthened competition in federal contracting; added transparency to the process; and helped curtail waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers’ money. Obviously, the Salon article used as the only source for this ad leaves out the fact that the bill passed the Senate unanimously — years before Tom Daffron and Susan Collins were even married in 2012.
The ad also misleads voters on how contracts are even awarded — the awarding of contracts is an executive branch function. Federal agencies run procurement processes, evaluate bids, and sign contracts under a detailed framework of laws. Congress doesn’t pick contractors. As a matter of fact, a majority of the contracts in question were awarded to Jefferson Consulting by the Obama Administration. The role of the Appropriations Committee is limited to funding the agencies themselves.
Collins for Senator spokeswoman Blake Kernen released the following statement: “This desperate 11th-hour attack from Troy Jackson’s greatest financial backer Chuck Schumer is a disservice to the people of Maine. Susan Collins and Senator Joe Lieberman worked together to pass this bipartisan government contracting reform bill out of the Government Affairs Committee — it was passed the Senate with unanimous support, including from Chuck Schumer himself. Once again, all they can do is attack Susan Collins for being an effective, independent leader for Maine.”
So many of Chuck Schumer’s ads have been rated false that Collins for Senator created a website to counter these attacks — checkthetruth.com
Other Democratic ads that have been rated false include:
factcheck.org: Collins Did Not ‘Support’ OBBBA’s Medicaid Cuts, as Democratic Ad Claims
Daily Caller: Schumer Attacks Susan Collins For ‘Cutting Medicaid’ Months After She Received ‘Medicaid Champion’ Award
Politifact: Sen. Susan Collins didn’t ‘cover up’ Epstein files or get $3 million from Epstein ‘business partner’
Factcheck.org: Democratic Group Makes False Claim in Insider-Trading Ad Attacking Susan Collins
Fox News: Schumer-linked PAC accuses senator of stock ‘greed,’ but financial disclosure contradicts claim