In the Maine Senate race, ads from a Democratic super PAC misleadingly claim Republican Sen. Susan Collins cast a vote to “cover up the Epstein files” and received “$3 million to her super PAC” from “Jeffrey Epstein’s business partner.”
Collinssupportedan Epstein-filesdisclosure billin November thatrequiredthe Department of Justice to publicly release records related to the convicted sex offender. She hadvotedtwo months earlier against an amendment that called for the release of the files and was attached to a defense spending bill. Collinssaidshe opposed adding the amendment to an unrelated bill.
Furthermore, the ad stretches the facts in claiming that “Epstein’s business partner” gave money to Collins. A political action committee supporting Collins received millions of dollars in contributions from a man who wasreportedlya “founding member” of a private New York City club along with Epstein and many other wealthy people.
A spokesperson for the man told us he had no relationship with Epstein.
This is the third time this election cycle thatwe havewrittenabout Democratic ads misleadingly citing Republican senators’ votes to block the amendment and not mentioning that the full Senate later supported releasing the Epstein files. The ads also try to connect the Republican senators who blocked the amendment to people linked in some way to Epstein.
The ads against Collins were sponsored byWinSenate, a super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the Senate. Collins is facing Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine state Senate president, in aclose racefor her seat.
WinSenatereleasedthe first attack ad on Sept. 24. In it, a woman, identified as a retired teacher, says she is “horrified” and claims: “Susan Collins voted to cover up the Epstein files. She knew 14-year-old girls were raped. Turns out that Jeffrey Epstein’s business partner funneled $3 million to her super PAC. Susan Collins took the money and protected child predators.”
The second ad, whichstarted airingSept. 29, features the same woman saying Collins “voted with Trump to cover up the Epstein files” — but the ad leaves out the claim about donations from an alleged Epstein business partner.
For the Epstein files claim, the ad cites Senate roll callvote 512on Sept. 10, 2025. That’s when Collins — and nearly all Republican senators — voted to table an amendment Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tried to include in theannual billthat sets the budget and policies for the Defense Department. Schumer’s amendmentcalled forthe U.S. attorney general to release all unclassified material pertaining to Epstein, including documents about federal investigations of Epstein and his associates, as well as information about Epstein’s 2019 death that wasruled a suicide. At the time of his death, Epstein, a wealthy financier, was in jail and facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
According tothe New York Times, Collins said of the failed amendment: “It does not belong on the Department of Defense policy bill.” The newspaper also reported that Collins “said she opposed Mr. Schumer’s measure because a similar amendment had been adopted on a spending bill that would fund the Justice Department.”
But theamendmentthat Collinssupportedin the July 2025 markup session by the Senate Appropriations Committee did not require the same level of disclosure.It required the attorney general to “retain, preserve, and compile” Epstein-related records or evidence and submit a report to Congress. While that DOJ spending bill had not yet passed in the Senate, “Ms. Collins said it was a more appropriate vehicle for a measure on the Epstein files,” the Times wrote.
In addition, when theEpstein Files Transparency Act— a standalone bill to release the Epstein documents — came up for consideration in the Senate in November, itpassedby unanimous consent, which means the bill was not opposed by Collins or any other senator.
“I support the release of the Epstein files,” Collinssaid in a statementabout the bill passing. “This is an important step for the survivors of these heinous crimes.”
Aswe have explainedbefore, President Donald Trump initially opposed Congress’ attempts to release the files, but relented days before the Senate passed the bill in November.
The first WinSenate ad that aired suggested Collins voted against Schumer’s amendment because of millions of dollars in donations from an Epstein associate.
