{"id":2667684,"date":"2026-09-22T16:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T20:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfor-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T16:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T20:47:26","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfor-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfor-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/","title":{"rendered":"Leftists Will Target Any Republican With Lawfare"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfor-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2667684&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses how Senator Susan Collins of Maine, known for her bipartisanship and moderate approach, has become a target of left-wing lawfare despite her centrist stance. ProPublica published a hit piece alleging Collins and her 2020 campaign were involved in an FBI inquiry into potential pay-to-play and bribery schemes, which Collins and her team deny and state the FBI found no wrongdoing. The piece appears politically motivated, coinciding with Collins&#8217; reelection campaign, and highlights how even moderate Republicans are vulnerable to weaponization by leftist government agencies.The article emphasizes that regardless of political alignment, officials who oppose leftist agendas risk being targeted, illustrating pervasive government misuse aimed at conservatives and independents alike. It concludes that leftist efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >politically target moderates exemplify broader issues<\/a> of government corruption and political weaponization.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:DHS_Secretary_Alejandro_Mayorkas_Testifies_During_a_Senate_Appropriations_Committee_Hearing_(53645057157).jpg\">Tia Dufour\/U.S. Department of Homeland Security\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/22\/for-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=For The Left, There Is No Republican Too Moderate To Target With Lawfare&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/22\/for-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=For The Left, There Is No Republican Too Moderate To Target With Lawfare&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/22\/for-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/22\/for-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=For The Left, There Is No Republican Too Moderate To Target With Lawfare&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/22\/for-the-left-there-is-no-republican-too-moderate-to-target-with-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;For The Left, There Is No Republican Too Moderate To Target With Lawfare&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has earned a reputation as one of the Senate\u2019s most bipartisan and moderate members. But not even that willingness to work across the aisle spared the longtime senator from being ensnared by the left\u2019s lawfare machine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leftist propaganda outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/propublica\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ProPublica<\/a> dropped a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/fbi-susan-collins-navatek-campaign-donations-investigation?utm_source=twitter&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=propublica-twitter&#038;utm_content=thread\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hit piece<\/a> on Tuesday suggesting Collins and her 2020 Senate campaign were caught up in a Biden-era FBI investigation that probed allegations of a pay-to-play and bribery scheme. <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-281384568\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Collins\u2019 team <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/annieclark25\/status\/2102418037857022067?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rejected<\/a> claims of wrongdoing and denied that the senator\u2019s campaign was ever the subject of the inquiry, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/07\/report-leftist-funded-propublica-attacks-conservatives-23-times-more-than-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">left-wing-funded<\/a> \u201cnews\u201d organization nonetheless attempted to paint Collins and her allies as nefarious players in the debacle. It further portrayed President Trump as a willing accomplice who \u201cstacked the Department of Justice with his personal lawyers\u201d and \u201ceviscerated\u201d \u201cspecialized FBI and DOJ teams handling public corruption investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is important to note that during the Biden Administration the FBI and the Department of Justice thoroughly investigated the \u2026 matter. The Collins campaign cooperated fully with the FBI throughout the investigation, producing all of the documents it requested and serving as fact witnesses in official settings,\u201d Collins spokeswoman Annie Clark said in response to ProPublica\u2019s report. \u201cIn response to the allegations in the ProPublica piece, the FBI clearly stated that a suggestion of wrongdoing by Senator Collins or her staff is \u2018totally false.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"YO6G1vyFTzM0Qax2rgWmu3N\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The seven-year-old allegations made against Senator Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false. There have never been any allegations of wrongdoing by the Collins for Senator campaign, and the campaign was never the target of the FBI investigation.<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/h4YZ9Nxdpe\">https:\/\/t.co\/h4YZ9Nxdpe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Annie Clark (@annieclark25) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/annieclark25\/status\/2102418037857022067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putting aside the fact that ProPublica is a verified <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/07\/report-leftist-funded-propublica-attacks-conservatives-23-times-more-than-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">left-wing propaganda machine<\/a> heavily bankrolled by the left\u2019s dark money network; that the outlet has been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/21\/justice-alito-launches-preemptive-strike-on-leftist-hit-piece\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/28\/propublicas-pulitzer-should-be-revoked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pulitzers<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/21\/justice-alito-launches-preemptive-strike-on-leftist-hit-piece\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dishonest<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/28\/propublicas-pulitzer-should-be-revoked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hit jobs<\/a> against conservative Supreme Court justices and red states\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/05\/propublica-awarded-pulitzer-after-blaming-georgia-womans-abortion-pill-death-on-pro-life-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pro-life laws<\/a>; that this hatchet job was dropped amid Collins\u2019 tough reelection bid; that one of the two named FBI agents leading the probe was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4727477\/fbi-agent-pushed-criminal-investigation-elon-musk-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently exposed<\/a> for attempting lawfare against Elon Musk; and that the other was involved in the Biden DOJ\u2019s lawfare against Trump, there\u2019s one glaring issue that stands out above all else. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is, there are no Republicans \u2014 no matter how \u201cmoderate\u201d they are \u2014 who are safe from the left\u2019s government weaponization. For conservatives, leftist bureaucrats using government agencies to target Democrats\u2019 political opposition is not a new phenomenon. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to egregious efforts to investigate and charge Trump ahead of the 2024 election, the Biden administration\u2019s Jack Smith-led special counsel team <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/22\/new-records-prove-biden-fbi-spying-on-congress-wasnt-an-isolated-incident\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seized<\/a> the phone records of GOP members of Congress as <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/15\/new-docs-support-allegations-that-jack-smiths-team-violated-constitution-in-get-trump-probe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">part<\/a> of its <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arctic-frost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arctic Frost<\/a> probe. The Biden DOJ also notably <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/16\/tillis-doesnt-understand-difference-between-bidens-weaponized-doj-and-trumps-pursuit-of-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">targeted<\/a> 2020 election protestors, pro-lifers and Christians, and parents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/unearthed-doj-emails-expose-turmoil-over-biden-era-memo-urging-crackdown-parents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">protesting<\/a> unscientific Covid policies and racial indoctrination at school board meetings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Collins has never fit the mold of a conservative. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Maine senator is one of the more bipartisan members of Congress. She generally takes a middle-of-the-road approach and carefully weighs her votes on major nominations and bills as one would expect from a Republican senator representing a blue state. To say she\u2019s anything akin to \u201cMAGA\u201d misses the mark completely. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yet, none of that stopped the FBI from seemingly making her a target in one of its expansive investigations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The left\u2019s lawfare enterprise does not care how moderate or independent a Republican is. If that official gets in leftists\u2019 way or disrupts their quest for power, they will not hesitate to make them the victim of their next fishing expedition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2026-midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Biden administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/corruption\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Corruption<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FBI<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lobbying\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lobbying<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/maine\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/propaganda-media\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">propaganda media<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/propublica\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ProPublica<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Susan Collins<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Collins, Maine, targeted by left\u2019s lawfare despite moderation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2667685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Susan-Collins.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[16727,5965,5894,3756],"class_list":["post-2667684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-lawfare","tag-leftists","tag-politics","tag-republicans"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Susan-Collins.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2667684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2667684"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2667684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2667693,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2667684\/revisions\/2667693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2667685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2667684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2667684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2667684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}