Maine's congressional delegation mostly mum on Trump's arraignment

Apr. 4—Only one member of Maine's congressional delegation — Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree — provided a statement Tuesday reacting to former President Donald Trump's arraignment in New York City.

Trump was arraigned on 34 felony charges for his alleged role in paying hush money during the 2016 campaign to a former adult film actress who said she had sexual encounter with him.

Sen. Angus King, an independent, and Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, stood by the comments they made when Trump was indicted on Thursday, and the office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins did not respond to a request for a comment on Tuesday.

"Make no mistake: today is a sad day for this country. For the first time in our nation's history, a former president has been arrested on criminal charges," said Pingree, D-1st District. "It is a tragic moment of great gravity all Americans should mark solemnly. But it is also sign of our democracy's health that even a former president can face justice for their misdeeds. No one is above the law."

On Thursday, King said: "An indictment by a grand jury is the very beginning of the criminal justice process and does not determine guilt or innocence. Under our system, the next steps place a heavy burden on the prosecution — to prove the charges (whatever they may be) beyond a reasonable doubt. The former president, like any other citizen, then has every right to present his defense on the law and the facts. While this case is unusual, the principle underlying it is not — in our country, no one is above the law."

Golden, D-2nd District, said on Thursday: "No one is above the law. Our legal system is built upon the principle of innocence until proven guilty and we should let the process play out without bias or political interference."