Key facts
- Democrats accused Senator Susan Collins of corruption after a ProPublica report.
- The report alleged the FBI proposed investigating Collins for bribery.
- A contracting firm, Navatek, allegedly donated $150,000 to Collins's Super PAC in exchange for federal contracts.
- Collins's campaign stated the Justice Department under Joe Biden absolved her of the scheme.
- The report claims Donald Trump derailed the FBI inquiry after returning to power.
Democrats in Maine on Wednesday accused Republican Senator Susan Collins of corruption following a ProPublica report alleging the FBI had proposed investigating her for bribery. The report, published by the investigative newsroom ProPublica, claims that in the lead-up to Collins's 2020 re-election campaign, the head of her Super PAC solicited a donation from the contracting firm Navatek. Navatek CEO Martin Kao allegedly sent $150,000 to the Super PAC through a shell company, with the understanding that Collins would ensure the firm secured $32 million in federal contracts.
The FBI was reportedly moving towards investigating the arrangement in late 2024, but agents leading the case were allegedly pushed out amid a wider purge of the bureau ordered by Donald Trump after his return to power, and a justice department office overseeing investigations of politicians was reportedly gutted.
Collins has disputed the report. Her deputy chief of staff, Annie Clark, called the allegations "categorically false" and noted that Kao is currently in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges. Collins's campaign manager, Steve Abbott, denounced ProPublica's reporting as based on "allegations from a guy who was awaiting sentencing for a significant federal offense who was trying to get his sentence reduced." Abbott also stated that the Justice Department under Joe Biden had investigated the contributions and claims against Collins and found no basis for charges.
Maine Democrats, including state senate president nominee Troy Jackson and party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson, seized on the report to criticize Collins, who has represented the state since 1997. Jackson called the situation "corruption of the highest order," demanding answers about contracts facilitated "on the backs of taxpayers." Murphy-Anderson accused Collins of betraying her constituents and being "bailed out of trouble by the president of the United States."
Political strategists acknowledge the report is unhelpful for Collins, though some argue it is not a "silver bullet" for her opponents. Lance Dutson, a strategist who worked on Collins's previous campaigns, called the story "obviously absurd" given the high funding levels of her 2020 campaign, but noted that the "headwind from Trump is very strong" and could complicate her re-election bid.