In this 2014 file photo, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, speaks in Kittery.
Pingree announced Tuesday that the two are separated and plan to divorce.
“It is a very amicable and truly mutual decision. It is sad for both of us but we continue to have the utmost respect for each other,” she said in a statement.
Pingree, 60, said she’ll have nothing further to say.
Pingree and the 69-yearold hedge fund manager and philanthropist married in June 2011 in a private ceremony at the couple’s North Haven home off the Maine coast. A year later, Sussman rescued the Portland Press Herald and sister newspapers before selling them this year. He’s also a major Democratic donor, funneling millions of dollars to candidates and political action committees.
Before their marriage, the topic of Pingree’s engagement made a splash when it emerged that she’d been flying on a private jet owned by Sussman. The House ethics committee ruled that the flights were permitted because they were engaged.
Because of the pending divorce, Pingree, a Democrat, no longer will be required to list Sussman’s financial information on her disclosure forms. She was issued a 30-day grace period after the Aug. 13 due date for her latest filing, and the report was filed Tuesday. She used the time to tell family and friends about the change in marital status.
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