Partisan clash on LePage kills special session effort

AUGUSTA — Unable to agree on how severe the punishment should be, top leaders at the State House will do nothing to sanction Gov. Paul LePage for repeatedly making racially charged comments and threatening a lawmaker.

Instead, Democrats are blaming Republicans for being unwilling to remove LePage from office, while Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to score political points in an election year.

The partisan breakdown demolished efforts Friday to schedule a special session of the Legislature to consider action against the Republican governor – even though both parties earlier seemed to agree that LePage had gone too far.

It remains unclear whether LePage broke any laws last week when he left an obscene voice mail threatening Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, and later told reporters that he wished it was 1825 so he could duel Gattine and point the gun “right between his eyes.”

Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/02/speaker-eves-polling-members-on-special-session/