Over three decades after Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills refrained from publicizing a substantial case file connected to a federal investigation regarding her alleged cocaine use, the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is now pressing for these documents.
In April 2025, the NRSC submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the National Archives and Records Agency (NARA) in hopes of obtaining information about the alleged cocaine incident, particularly as there are claims that Democrats were encouraging her to enter the state Senate race. Initially, NARA indicated they would consider the request, but subsequently stated that the 3,000-page file fell under FOIA exemptions.
The NRSC has since initiated a lawsuit, arguing that the public has a right to access these records. A recent report highlighted newly found notes that seem to challenge Mills’s claim that the investigation into her alleged cocaine use was politically motivated.
Interestingly, Fox News Digital uncovered that approximately 3,195 documents, which do not fall under FOIA exemptions, are also set to take eleven years to process. This is odd considering that back in 1992, Mills herself had filed FOIA requests for the same documents, only to be told by NARA that they were “too busy” to address her request. When questioned about her willingness to share any obtained documents, Mills responded, “I have to see what was in it first.”
Fox News Digital hasn’t discovered any record of Mills releasing those documents and attempted to contact her office for comments, but received no reply.
In early 1990, a multi-agency investigation—including the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA—looked into Mills, who was then the Maine district attorney, after drug suspects accused her of cocaine use. This inquiry was ultimately dismissed without a formal request. Mills contends that the investigation lacked merit and asserted that she was unfairly targeted due to her political affiliation and previous criticisms of the drug enforcement agency for their aggressive tactics against low-level offenders.
Mills described the situation as “scary,” and noted that a memorandum from the Department of Justice, later unearthed by Fox News Digital, confirmed that there were no misconduct concerns in the investigation against her.
A report from WCSH-TV in December 1990 stated that Mills was being investigated for drug use, which led to a lawsuit against the reporter for defamation. That suit’s records are no longer available, and it seems a judge rejected a request to officially conclude the drug probe rumors.
Recently, Mills confronted questions regarding these allegations in Washington, D.C. During an exchange, when asked if “sniffing cocaine at work” constitutes a “human right,” her response was one of confusion.
As Mills’s governorship approaches its term limit next year, she emerges as a possible challenger in 2026 against long-standing Republican Senator Susan Collins. Although she indicated in April that she had no plans to pursue another office, she acknowledged, “things change weekly, month after month,” leaving open the opportunity for a Senate race.
