During Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing in 2018, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) insisted that Kavanaugh would uphold the precedent set by Roe v. Wade that made abortion a constitutional right.
However, Politico reported on Monday night that Kavanaugh has apparently signed on to an opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that completely overturns Roe, while also potentially endangering other rights that stem from the implied right to privacy.
Many critics were quick to pile on Collins, who has made a career as a rare Republican who purports to believe in reproductive rights, but who nonetheless voted to confirm several of the Supreme Court justices who will now be voting to end Roe, including Kavanaugh and Alito.
"Tonight its worth acknowledging what a disgrace Susan Collins is," wrote former Clinton White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart on Twitter. "This is her legacy."
Princeton historian Kevin Kruse, meanwhile, made a joking reference to Collins's frequent declarations during the Trump years that she was "disturbed" by the former president's actions, while at the same time doing nothing to curb his misconduct.
"The Susan Collins Fret Level has been raised to Perturbed," he wrote. "I repeat, Perturbed. This is not a drill."
Author Benjamin Dreyer, meanwhile, imagined the excuses that would be made for Kavanaugh's apparent reversal on overturning Roe.
"Presumably Justice Kavanaugh will insist that when he told Susan Collins that Roe was settled law he was sh*tfaced," he wrote.
The Nation's Elie Mystal pushed for reporters to hound Collins and hold her accountable for her past claims about Kavanaugh.
"I'm not anybody's assigning editor so I apologize for speaking out of turn, but I ASSUME the NY Times has sent somebody to camp outside Susan Collins's office to get her comment on her boy, alleged attempt rapist Brett Kavanaugh, doing the thing she promised us he wouldn't do," he wrote.
And former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance responded to the news of the Supreme Court's ruling by sarcastically saying, "Thanks, Susan Collins."