A woman was arrested on Friday after authorities discovered she sent a threatening letter to Sen. Susan Collins's (R-ME) home in October. The letter, which was sent to Collins's husband, Thomas Daffron, was reportedly laced with ricin. An affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor revealed that the suspect was 37-year-old Suzanne Muscara, from Burlington.
Muscara's message for Collins read that the senator, "betrayed the people of Maine." Because it was mailed in October, one can only conclude the suspect was referring to Collins's vote in favor of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In a series of contentious confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault by a woman named Christine Blasey Ford who says he forced himself on her back in high school, an allegation he denied. Republicans were suspicious, but most Democrats took Ford at her word.
Some political groups in Maine demanded Collins vote against Kavanaugh, or told her to expect a primary challenge. They weren't only upset about the allegations against him, but his apparent pro-life agenda. In a video for Collins, they charged that a vote for Kavanaugh would eventually lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Collins had been on the fence about Kavanaugh for weeks, until she started being bullied. That, she revealed on the Senate floor, convinced her all the more to vote for him.
She received several angry and even threatening voicemails and social media messages in the days and weeks after her vote, but none placed her or her family in such immediate danger as Muscara's letter. If charged, the suspect could face 10 years in prison. She is due in court Monday.
