Democratic Ads Misrepresent Susan Collins’ Role in the Epstein Files Disclosure

In the 2026 Maine Senate race, Democratic super-PAC WinSenate aired television ads that claim Republican Sen. Susan Collins linked a Senate roll-call vote on a defense-spending amendment to a donor associated with Jeffrey Epstein.

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Collins supported a November-year bill requiring the Department of Justice to release all unclassified material related to Epstein. In July 2025 she opposed an amendment introduced by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that would have placed the same requirement in a defense-policy appropriations bill. The standalone Epstein Files Transparency Act later passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and Collins issued a statement backing the release.

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• July 2025 – Collins opposes Schumer’s amendment, citing procedural concerns.

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• September 2025 – Senate votes on the amendment (roll-call 512).

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• June 27 2025 – Stephen Schwarzman contributes $2 million to Pine Tree Results PAC, a super-PAC supporting Collins.

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• June 26 2026 – Schwarzman contributes an additional $1 million to the same PAC.

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• Late September – WinSenate releases two ads referencing the September 2025 vote and the alleged donation.

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• November – The Epstein Files Transparency Act passes the Senate unanimously; Collins publicly backs the release.

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• Total contributions from Schwarzman to Pine Tree Results PAC: $3 million.

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• The amendment Collins opposed was part of a defense-spending bill; the vote to table it occurred in September 2025.

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• The ads assert a “business-partner” connection based on Schwarzman’s early membership in the Core Club, which also counted Epstein among its founding members.

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Collins clarified that she opposed Schumer’s amendment because a comparable disclosure requirement had already been placed in a Justice-Department appropriations bill, which she viewed as a more appropriate vehicle. WinSenate framed the ads as highlighting a pattern of “cover-up” behavior by Collins.

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• Labeling Schwarzman as an “Epstein business partner.” The claim rests on shared Core Club membership, not on any direct business relationship. No source confirms a financial partnership beyond the club.

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• Timing of donations vs. votes. One donation ($2 million) occurred more than two months before the September 2025 vote, while the second ($1 million) came after the November unanimous approval of the Transparency Act. The ads do not distinguish these timelines, implying a causal link that the donation schedule does not support.

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• Ad focus on a single vote. The ads cite the September 2025 roll-call but omit that the full Senate later supported the release of the files through the November standalone bill.

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• “I support the release of the Epstein files,” — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Maine senator

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• “Susan Collins blocked the release of the Epstein files and then her PAC accepted millions from a business associate of Epstein’s, an individual who belonged to the same exclusive business club,” — Lauren French, spokesperson for WinSenate

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