By Associated Press - Tuesday, October 23, 2018

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A crowdfunding campaign that collected over $2 million for Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ prospective Democratic challenger in the 2020 election has raised legal concerns.

The Portland Press Herald reports organizers gathered after Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Crowdpac spokesman TJ Adams-Falconer says Mainers decided they would support someone else after “Collins wouldn’t stand for their values.”

Collins said on CBS’ “60 minutes” the crowdfunding amounted to a bribe because organizers tried to pressure her into a vote. Some legal experts have supported Collins’ view.

Bradley Smith, a former Federal Election Commission chairman, says the campaign donations are protected under free speech and aren’t a bribe.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust has filed a complaint about the campaign with the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

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