AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said today that he believed House minority leader Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono, when she says she paid for an energy audit by the Maine Green Energy Alliance, the now defunct group that had received public subsidies to perform energy audits.

Cain came under fire yesterday by the Maine GOP, who alleged that the alliance was a “slush fund” for Democrats. Party chairman Charlie Webster called for an investigation into the group’s dealings with Augusta lawmakers and singled out Cain by insinuating that she didn’t pay for an MGEA energy audit to her home.

Cain said she paid for audit and called Webster’s accusation a “pathetic political ploy.”

LePage said Wednesday that he takes Cain at her word, a statement that some believe has more to do with the governor’s rumored rift the Maine GOP and Webster than his backing of the minority leader.

LePage said he called Cain this morning to talk about the Maine GOP release.

Asked today about his reaction to Webster’s accusation, LePage said, “I’m going to be very candid. I don’t speak on [the Maine GOP’s] behalf and they don’t speak on mine.”

When asked if he supported Webster’s call for investigation by the Secretary of State’s Office, LePage said, “I don’t know enough about it, to be very honest.”

He said, “I did speak to Emily Cain. She tells me she did pay for an energy audit. I buy it. I believe her. I have no reason not to. And I support what she said.”

Follow Maine politics on Steve’s blog, Maine Political Pulse.