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ProPublica: FBI bribery probe into Sen. Susan Collins was dropped after Trump took office

An investigation into alleged pay-to-play payments from defense contractor Navatek to Collins was shelved amid Trump's DOJ purge; Collins' office calls the allegations false.

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What to know

  • ProPublica reports the FBI had built a bribery case tied to Navatek CEO Martin Kao's testimony that could have implicated Sen. Susan Collins and other lawmakers of both parties.
  • The probe was shelved after Trump returned to office in 2025 and purged DOJ/FBI officials, including one who took Kao's confession.
  • Collins' office calls the allegations categorically false and says the FBI itself called suggestions of wrongdoing 'totally false.'
  • The report lands as Collins faces one of the most competitive Senate races of the 2026 midterms, with Democrats hoping to flip her Maine seat.

“It is important to note that during the Biden Administration the FBI and the Department of Justice thoroughly investigated the Navatek matter... In response to the allegations in the ProPublica piece, the FBI clearly stated that a suggestion of wrongdoing by Senator Collins or her staff is 'totally false.'”

Annie Clark, Deputy chief of staff to Sen. Susan Collins · The Independent ↗ · Sep 21

Susan CollinsSusan Collins Republican U.S. Senator from MaineMartin Kao Former Navatek CEOScott Reed Head of the Collins super PACDonald TrumpDonald Trump U.S. PresidentAnnie Clark Deputy chief of staff to Sen. Collins

ProPublica: FBI bribery probe into Sen. Susan Collins was dropped after Trump took office
the-independent.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlespostscomments

Peak 1 piece in one hour at Sep 22, 9 AM; 4 pieces over 45 hours (2 articles · 1 post · 1 comment) Sep 22, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Sep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quiet 1
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  1. 1

    Collins' office denies the pay-to-play allegations

    Collins' deputy chief of staff Annie Clark called the report's allegations categorically false and said the FBI told the campaign a suggestion of wrongdoing by Collins or her staff is "totally false."

    “The seven-year-old allegations made against Senator Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false.”
    — Annie Clark
    1. 1 outlet FBI was looking at key Republican senator in bribery probe — then Trump took office

      first by The Independent, 1d ago

      1 more headline

    • I have to imagine he had a burning contempt for Republicans after they dashed his hopes for a Supreme Court seat. What I do think is he, like Mueller, You don't have to imagine anything. He, like Mueller, are literally registered Republicans. They support this bullshit. They never wanted any "justice" to be had. They played partisan games and…

      MostlyWongr/politics1d agoview on r/politics ↗
  2. background

    ProPublica reveals the scrapped Collins bribery probe — ProPublica's investigation, published Tuesday, details Kao's allegations that Collins was Navatek's "most important patron" and reports the FBI probe into potential bribery was shuttered under the Trump administration, drawing coverage from the Daily Beast and The Independent.

  3. background

    Trump's DOJ purge derails the Navatek probe — After returning to office, Trump gutted the DOJ and fired officials who had worked on cases against him, including an agent who had taken Kao's confession; Kao was sentenced to 87 months in prison one month later, and the public corruption unit was effectively frozen.

  4. background

    FBI nears a broad bribery probe implicating both parties — By the end of 2024 the FBI had gathered enough evidence to be on the verge of launching a bribery and corruption investigation that could have implicated top politicians from both parties, including scrutiny of a steak dinner between Kao and the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

  5. background

    Navatek CEO Martin Kao pleads guilty, is later indicted — A grand jury indicted Kao on suspicion of making illegal campaign contributions, and he later pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, admitting to FBI agents that Collins was one of nearly two dozen lawmakers his roughly $900,000-$1 million donation scheme targeted.

  6. background

    Illegal donations to Collins are first reported, then returned — The illegal campaign donations were originally reported in 2021, prompting both the Collins re-election campaign and the Collins PAC to return the money.

  7. background

    Navatek CEO funnels $150,000 to Collins PAC via shell company — Martin Kao set up a shell company to evade campaign finance rules and sent $150,000 to the Collins super PAC; two months later he told Navatek executives that Collins had arranged $32 million in naval contracts for the company.

  8. background

    Collins super PAC director seeks $500,000 from Navatek — Scott Reed, head of the Collins super PAC, sought $500,000 from defense contractor Navatek after Collins helped the company win a multimillion-dollar Navy research contract in Maine.