Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, found herself in a heated moment during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., when confronted with pointed questions about past allegations of cocaine use. The exchange, caught on video, raises fresh questions about a decades-old controversy that refuses to fade.
According to Fox News, Mills reacted with a sharp “What the f---?” when asked if “sniffing cocaine at work” is a “human right.” The follow-up query about the cost of an “eight-ball” with inflation was met with stony silence as she walked away.
This awkward encounter stems from a 1990s investigation into Mills, then a district attorney in Maine, after a drug suspect accused her of using cocaine. The probe, conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Maine’s Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement, ultimately led to no charges.
Mills has long insisted that the investigation was a politically motivated attack, tied to her Democratic affiliation and her public criticism of Maine’s drug enforcement practices. She and two other district attorneys had accused the state agency of padding arrest numbers by targeting low-level offenders.
“It's scary,” Mills told a local newspaper in 1991, warning of a “secret police force” in Maine that could destroy reputations of its critics. Her rhetoric paints a chilling picture, but newly uncovered documents suggest the story isn’t so black-and-white.
A 1995 memorandum from the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility, recently obtained by journalists, directly contradicts Mills’ narrative of political persecution. The memo found no evidence of misconduct by federal or state investigators, declaring the probe into her alleged drug use was conducted properly.
The DOJ report dismissed all of Mills’ claims, including accusations of being targeted for her politics, coercion of witnesses, and leaks of grand jury information to the press. “No misconduct of any kind can fairly be attributed to any member of that office,” the memo concluded about Maine’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Back in 1990, a local TV station reported that Mills was under federal grand jury investigation for drug use, citing law enforcement sources. This prompted her to sue the reporter for libel and slander, though records of the case outcome have since been disposed of per policy.
In 1991, Mills publicly labeled the investigation a “smear campaign,” suggesting it was suspiciously timed after her criticism of state drug enforcement accountability. While her frustration is understandable, the DOJ’s findings poke significant holes in the idea of a coordinated witch hunt.
The controversy drew attention from Maine legislators, who raised concerns about potential misconduct by federal prosecutors, including refusal to investigate leaks and witness intimidation. Their letter to a prominent senator at the time led to a request from then-Sen. Joe Biden for a deeper DOJ review.
Despite the high-level scrutiny, the 1995 DOJ memo found all allegations against investigators to be “unsubstantiated.” This undercuts the narrative of a grand conspiracy that Mills has clung to for decades.
Mills herself warned in 1991 that such probes set a “very bad precedent” for prosecutors, who might fear retaliation every time they put someone behind bars. It’s a fair concern—justice should never be weaponized—but the evidence here suggests her case was handled by the book.
Fast forward to today, and Mills remains a polarizing figure, recently clashing with former President Donald Trump over transgender athletes in women’s sports during a White House meeting. When pressed to comply with an executive order on the issue, she defiantly responded, “We’ll see you in court,” highlighting her willingness to push back against federal overreach.
Her office has stayed silent on the resurfaced DOJ memo, despite multiple requests for comment. This lack of response does little to quiet the lingering questions about her past, especially as she nears the end of her term-limited governorship next year.
With longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins up for re-election in 2026, speculation swirls about Mills as a potential Democratic challenger, though she’s downplayed such ambitions for now. Her cryptic remark that “things change week to week, month to month” leaves room for a political encore, but this old scandal could weigh on any future campaign.
