Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has given the Republican Party a lot of heartburn as of late. She was against the latest health care push and might get queasy about the GOP’s tax reform push. Yet, when it comes to Roy Moore, the controversial Alabama GOP senate candidate, she says seat him if he wins. National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Cory Gardner (R-CO) threatened to expel Moore should he win. As more women have come out to accuse Moore of sexual misconduct, including assault and molestation, you’ve seen the NRSC, the GOP leadership, and the Republican National Committee have abandoned Moore. He’s virtually alone. Nevertheless, Collins is throwing some cold water of the expel protocol, as she says the law might prevent such an action (via The Hill):
Sen Collins says she’s looked at the law and if @MooreSenate is elected “we would have no choice but to seat him...”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) November 15, 2017
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday that the law prohibits the Senate from refusing to seat Roy Moore, the Alabama GOP candidate accused of sexual misconduct with underage girls, if the state's voters elect him next month.
Collins told reporters on Capitol Hill that she had studied the law, and that “we would have no choice but to seat him" were he to defeat Democrat Doug Jones in the special election next month, according to a tweet from NBC's Frank Thorp.
This doesn’t mean Collins is pro-Moore—absolutely not. She has said he should step aside, but this is a glimpse into the drama that could unfold if Moore wins the special election next month.