Maine Gov. Janet Mills was confronted on camera about alleged cocaine use, which she has dismissed as a political witch hunt. (Fox News Digital)
After Mills seemingly laughed at the question and kept walking, she was asked a follow-up question.
"Have you ever been under the influence while making critical decisions for the state of Maine?"
Mills continued walking and declined to answer that question as well.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mills' office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
In early 1990, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Maine, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Maine’s Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement (BIDE) investigated Mills, then a sitting district attorney in Maine, after a drug suspect accused her of using cocaine.
The investigation was eventually dropped without charges being filed. Mills has maintained that the investigation never had any merit and that she was politically targeted for her Democratic affiliation and criticism of BIDE. In 1990, she and two other district attorneys in Maine criticized BIDE for inflating arrest numbers through excessive enforcement of low-level drug offenders.
BONDI SLAMS MAINE GOV FOR BRUSHING OFF TRANS ATHLETE ISSUE
Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, delivers remarks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit on May 4, 2023, in National Harbor, Maryland. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The results of the libel and slander suit are no longer available. The docket for the case showed that the records were disposed of in 2015 in accordance with policy. However, a 1991 Lewiston Sun-Journal article appears to state that the effort to "end drug probe rumors" was thrown out by a judge.
Earlier this month, Mills was confronted in Washington, D.C., about her alleged cocaine use, Fox News Digital exclusively reported, in an exchange where she said, "What the f---?" when asked if "sniffing cocaine at work" is a "human right."
Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election in 2026, and with Mills' governorship term limited next year, she would be a competitive Democratic candidate to challenge Collins.
Mills indicated in April that she did not "plan to run for another office," but admitted that "things change week to week, month to month," leaving the door open to a potential Senate bid.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maines-dem-governor-laughs-off-questions-when-confronted-about-alleged-past-cocaine-use