I listened to much of Sen. Susan Collins’ speech explaining her reasons for voting “yes” on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. On the whole, what she said was deeply researched, thoughtful, well argued and in some respects brilliant. She was rightfully concerned over the lack of due process in the Kavanaugh hearings.

But she chose to bury the considerable circumstantial evidence that Kavanaugh has committed perjury with respect to the hacking of Democratic emails, with respect to what he knew about his mentor then-Judge Alex Kozinski’s predilection for pornography in the workplace, and with respect to the alcohol-fueled ways of his own youth. She glossed over the elimination of these subjects from the FBI investigation. She ignored the more than a dozen potentially corroborating witnesses who asked to give evidence but who were excluded from the investigation, including former friends, classmates and drinking companions. Where is due process when the investigators refuse to investigate?

Sen. Collins must know that the FBI investigation has functioned as a smokescreen to obscure, rather than elucidate, the truth about Kavanaugh. She has aided and abetted ignoring the testimony of those who may have substantiated Christine Blasey Ford’s claims, and has then said she believes Dr. Ford has misremembered. Potential evidence is suppressed and the victim is denigrated. Sen. Collins has become the principal smokescreen for the Trump administration and Senate Republicans in Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Under the guise of defending due process, Sen. Collins has put her stamp of approval on a denial of due process. She has thrown in her lot with an administration that has shown utter contempt for truth, justice and transparency. This is a sad day for her and for Maine. We will need to hold her accountable in 2020.

Nigel Calder

Newcastle