'Secret' note at center of LePage lawsuit remains a mystery

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage likes to fire off handwritten notes to lawmakers and constituents, thanking them for their support or chiding them for opposing his policies.

Now, one of them is at the center of a federal lawsuit accusing the Republican of abusing his power by pressuring a school for at-risk youth into firing a state lawmaker.

But the location of that missive remains mystery.

In the civil rights lawsuit, House Speaker Mark Eves said LePage "knowingly broke federal law" by threatening the chairman of the board of Good Will-Hinckley — "in a secret, handwritten note" — that he would withhold $500,000 from the school unless Eves was removed as president.