Senator Bennett demands answers

To the Editor:

Senator Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) today released the following statement:

‘Yesterday, a lawsuit filed by State Representative Jane Pringle and four other Maine voters seeks to stop the recent campaign finance reform law, Question 2 on last month’s ballot, enacted with an unprecedented 86% support of Maine voters.

‘The newly enacted law bans foreign governments and entities they control from interfering in Maine elections and calls upon our congressional delegation to advance a constitutional amendment to allow reasonable regulation of out-of-control spending by dark money, billionaires, and foreign-owned corporations. I understand that this new lawsuit by Rep. Pringle against Mainer voters is being funded by Hydro Quebec, a corporation owned 100% by a foreign government. I hope my information about the funding of this lawsuit is incorrect. If it is correct, it is a sad day when current and former legislators and supposed leaders of Maine’s business community will allow themselves to be used by foreign governments to undermine our democracy.

‘First, I demand to know if Hydro Quebec is indeed funding this lawsuit against the people of Maine.

‘Second, if so, I call upon the plaintiffs in this suit – Rep. Pringle, former Reps. Ken Fletcher and Bonnie Gould, and Brenda Garrand and Lawrence Wold – to follow federal law and register as foreign agents. In fact, Brenda Garrand formerly served as Maine’s honorary consul of Canada, in which capacity (according to reporting at the time of her appointment) she explicitly represented Canada’s interests in our state.

‘Third, outrageously, Mr. Wold currently serves as Maine president of TD Bank, which stands for Toronto Dominion Bank. If this suit is in fact funded by a foreign governmental entity, I further call upon the people of Maine to boycott all business with TD Bank. Toronto Dominion Bank may be headquartered in Canada, but Maine voters are not part of its dominion. Mr. Wold and TD Bank should be ashamed to be associated with the effort to thwart the expressed will of 86% of Mainers, particularly where Canada does not allow any foreign involvement in its own elections.

‘The stakes are high. Our democracy is fragile. But the people of Maine have spoken: our republic is not for sale to the highest bidder, and we reject foreign meddling in our elections.’

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