AUGUSTA — A Democratic state senator asked Senate President Mike Thibodeau on Monday to convene a panel to investigate “potential fraud and misuse” of legislative travel reimbursements by two Republican senators.
The request from Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford, came 15 days before the November election in which Democrats are mounting a strong challenge to take back the Maine Senate majority, with Thibodeau, a Republican from Winterport, as one of their main targets.
Patrick’s letter to Thibodeau asked him to convene a Senate ethics committee to investigate Assistant Senate Majority Leader Andre Cushing, R-Newport, and Sen. Ronald Collins, R-Wells and add safeguards to the legislative reimbursement program, which pays for legislators’ travel and stays in Augusta during the legislative session and approved out-of-state trips.
Cushing charged more than $3,100 in travel from 2014 and 2015 to his political action committee, but the Bangor Daily News reported last week that it was reimbursed to him with taxpayer money. Similarly, records show that Collins’ campaign pre-paid $2,400 in Augusta hotel costs in 2014 that were also reimbursed by taxpayers.
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