Democratic Governor Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have prevented foreign election interference in Maine, according to OANN. While it is currently against the law in the state for foreign nationals and companies to donate to political campaigns, foreign actors can go around it by referendums. The bill targets that loophole.
The bill was introduced after a Canadian company, Hydro-Quebec, reportedly spent millions of dollars fighting protestors against a $1 billion transmission line project. Mills defended her veto claiming that she was worried about whether the bill was constitutional and would effectively silence voters in the state. In 2021, Mills reportedly vetoed another bill related to electioneering.
Mills tried to defend her stance by saying that she supports keeping “dark money” out of political campaigns but feared that this bill will create a bureaucratic mess that would result in legitimate voters being silenced.
Nevertheless, members of the state House tried to override the governor’s decision and voted 73-50 in favor but fell short of two-thirds of the votes needed.
The news comes as former President Donald Trump may be indicted on charges of overturning the 2020 election. This will make the third indictment the former president will face, including alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels and his handling of classified documents.
Critics of the Biden administration are calling the indictments politically motivated actions of the Justice Department working at the behest of Democrats as they try to knock Trump out of the 2024 election. A grand jury is expected to convene this week.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who spearheaded the investigation into Trump, has managed to secure former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik to comply with the investigation and reportedly handed over thousands of documents. Kerik was previously pardoned by Trump for his past convictions in 2020.
