FBI bribery investigation into Susan Collins ended after Trump administration dismantled anti-corruption unit

A ProPublica report reveals that the FBI prepared a sweeping bribery investigation into Senator Susan Collins in late 2024, following confessions from imprisoned Navatek CEO Martin Kao. Kao detailed a pay-to-play scheme where a $150,000 donation to Collins' super PAC was allegedly traded for $32 million in naval contracts. However, the probe was abandoned after President Donald Trump returned to office and dismantled the FBI's public corruption units. Collins' office and the FBI deny any wrongdoing, while her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson has seized on the report, calling it corruption of the highest order.

Proposed FBI Investigation

• ▪The FBI's public corruption unit was effectively frozen and the bribery investigation into Senator Susan Collins abandoned after President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025 and overhauled the agency
• ▪The FBI's proposed 2024 bribery investigation into Senator Susan Collins involving Navatek's donations was based on previously undisclosed interviews with former Navatek CEO Martin Kao, who detailed a sprawling pay-to-play operation
• ▪The FBI sought to launch a sweeping bribery investigation in late 2024 into Senator Susan Collins' interactions with defense contractor Navatek, according to a ProPublica report.

Navatek Donation and Contract Commitments

• ▪Two months after donating to the Senator Susan Collins super PAC, former Navatek CEO Martin Kao told company executives that Senator Susan Collins committed to securing $32 million in naval contracts.
• ▪Former Navatek CEO Martin Kao sent an initial $150,000 donation to the Senator Susan Collins super PAC through a shell company to conceal the source of the funds.
• ▪In late 2019, Scott Reed, head of the Senator Susan Collins super PAC, met with Navatek executives at a Corner Bakery in Washington, D.C., to solicit a $500,000 donation.

Martin Kao's Conviction and Political Influence

• ▪Former Navatek CEO Martin Kao and his associates donated nearly $900,000 to dozens of politicians, allowing Navatek to secure over $40 million a year in government funding.
• ▪Former Navatek CEO Martin Kao pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2022 and was sentenced to 87 months in prison in early 2025.

Denials and Responses

• ▪FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson stated that the agency investigated Martin Kao's claims years ago and found nothing implicating Senator Susan Collins or her campaign
• ▪Annie Clark, deputy chief of staff for Senator Susan Collins, stated that ProPublica's allegations of wrongdoing are categorically false and that the Collins campaign was never the target of the FBI investigation into Martin Kao

Troy Jackson's Criticism

• ▪Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson criticized Senator Susan Collins, calling the reported pay-to-play arrangement corruption of the highest order.
• ▪Troy Jackson accused Donald Trump of helping Senator Susan Collins cover up the alleged pay-to-play corruption by shutting down the federal investigation into Martin Kao's claims