Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally Gideon leads Collins by 12 points in Maine Senate race: poll Senate leaders quash talk of rank-and-file COVID-19 deal MORE (R-Maine) asserted on Fox News Wednesday that it is “very sexist” for people to assume she received permission from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE (R-Ky.) when she voted to include additional witnesses and documentation in President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE's impeachment trial.

Collins was reacting to a tweet from David Frum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, who said he assumed Collins asked the Senate majority leader for permission for her vote last week while Sen. Mitt Romney Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates GOP votes to authorize subpoenas, depositions in Obama-era probe Overnight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to 'forever chemicals' MORE (R-Utah) did not.

I dont know why I feel so sure of this, yet I am sure: Susan Collins asked Mitch McConnell for permission to vote for witnesses. Mitt Romney didn't. — David Frum (@davidfrum) February 1, 2020

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“I’ve cast more than 7,000 votes in my Senate time, and I’ve never asked anyone for permission on how to vote,” she told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Wednesday following Trump's acquittal earlier in the day. “So that is just totally wrong, and I would also argue that it’s very sexist that he thinks that I somehow got permission to vote for witnesses, a position I've taken from the very beginning.”

“In fact, neither of us asked for permission,” she added, referring to Romney.

Collins, who voted to acquit Trump in Wednesday’s vote, said she respected Romney, but “reached a different conclusion.” The Utah senator broke with the GOP and convicted the president of the abuse of power charge.

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The Maine senator added that she “really” doesn’t think she will second-guess her decision, saying the Founders did not intend to take impeachment “lightly,” and the House did not make all necessary moves to obtain all relevant testimony.

The Senate acquitted the president after a months-long impeachment process. Senate Democrats had attempted to push for senators to support adding witnesses and documentation to the trial, but did not obtain enough votes last week.

The House impeached Trump on articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in December after former and current officials testified in hearings about the president’s alleged involvement in withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate former vice president and 2020 political rival Joe Biden Joe BidenThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden National postal mail handlers union endorses Biden MORE.