Good morning from Augusta, where Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that he may take legal action in response to an op-ed in the Portland Press Herald that alleged he had problems with substance abuse.

He said that on his weekly radio appearance on WVOM, in response to a Labor Day weekend op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram after LePage’s controversial remarks about black and Hispanic drug dealers and his profane voicemail to a Democratic lawmaker who criticized him.

The op-ed from substance abuse counselor Steve Bentley was published in print and posted online, but it was later taken down and replaced with an editor’s note saying it didn’t meet the newspaper’s standards. The publishing of the piece was heavily criticized, including here at the Daily Brief.

But on Tuesday, LePage told radio host Ric Tyler that he has been advised not to discuss it because “there might be a very large lawsuit about it” and that he is considering “options” in response to the op-ed.

Now, people hint at lawsuits all the time, so don’t take this too seriously until it’s in court. But if LePage is serious, this could be a libel case, which would be hard for a public figure such as LePage to win.

To do so, he’d have to prove “actual malice,” established by courts as meaning false information was published with the publisher either knowing it was false or acting with “reckless disregard” for a statement’s truth.

Also on Tuesday, LePage dismissed criticism of his administration’s decision to privatize administration of a work training program, which puts 51 state jobs on the chopping block.

He said displaced workers could apply for jobs with the new contractor, New York City-based Fedcap Rehabilitation Services, and he didn’t understand what all the “hoopla” was about. — Michael Shepherd

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Thanks, tweeters

A Quorum analysis of Twitter accounts most followed by Maine legislators made the Bangor Daily News look pretty good: Our flagship handle is the most followed with 25 lawmakers and our politics handle is second with 24.

Among politicians, Emily Cain is most followed with 23. However, there seems to be a liberal bias here, with only one Republican politician — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins — in the top 25.

The most followed reporter is MPBN’s Steve Mistler with 21. The BDN’s Chris Cousins has 19 follows. Inexplicably, I’m not in the top 25, but you can follow me here, lawmakers. I’m not bitter. Here’s my soundtrack. — Michael Shepherd