The FBI in 2025 ended an investigation into allegations that a fundraiser for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, had participated in an illegal campaign donation scheme, reports say.
The inquiry, first reported by ProPublica on Sept. 22, was based on previously undisclosed interviews between imprisoned Navatek CEO Martin Kao and federal investigators.
In 2022, Kao pleaded guilty to illegal campaign contributions after prosecutors said he used a shell company and family members to conceal dipping into government contractor funds to donate to a super PAC supporting Collins' reelection campaign in 2020. According to ProPublica and The New York Times, Kao said Collins' team was aware of the scheme and the donation was made on the understanding that she would
award naval contracts to his company, Navatek, a Hawaii-based military contractor.
Navatek did receive millions of dollars in federal contracts, but Collins' deputy chief of staff Annie Clark called the allegations of her wrongdoing "categorically false."
"The Collins campaign cooperated fully with the FBI throughout the investigation, producing all of the documents it requested and serving as fact witnesses in official settings," Clark said in a statement on X. "These issues were resolved in 2021, and the FBI has not contacted us about Martin Kao since then."
Anonymous officials told the Times that Kao's account of working with Collins' campaign on the scheme was questionable and agents at the time lacked corroborating evidence. ProPublica reported that the investigation fell by the wayside with President Donald Trump's overhaul of the Justice Department and FBI. USA TODAY reached out to the FBI for confirmation but did not immediately hear back.
Maine Senate race is key to party control
The reports come amid Collins' close contest for reelection in one of the races that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Collins is seeking a sixth term representing her small New England state, which President Donald Trump has never carried. Maine is the only state Trump lost in 2024 that has a Republican senator up for reelection in 2026, making it one of Democrats' top targets.
Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Collins often touts her record bringing investments back into the state. Her Democratic challenger, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, was quick to criticize Collins over reports of the budding federal probe.
"This is corruption of the highest order," Jackson said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. "We deserve answers about every contract and every conversation that Collins and her team facilitated on the backs of taxpayers. The jig is up.”
The Senate race in Maine is one of a handful rated as a toss-up by The Cook Political Report. Collins is known for an independent streak. She is one of three Republican senators still in office who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. Another, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, lost his primary earlier this year after Trump backed his challenger. Collins ran unopposed in the primary.
The Democratic bid to unseat her faces its own challenges. Jackson, a former logger, joined the Senate race in July as a replacement for oyster farmer Graham Platner, who had garnered national attention as a progressive, mobilizing force. But after winning the primary, he was accused of sexual assault and withdrew from the race, though he denies the allegations. Jackson had previously lost a race to be the Democratic nominee in Maine's gubernatorial race.
While the state's population leans slightly Democratic, Maine's rural 2nd Congressional District has voted for Trump all three times, awarding him one out of the state's four total Electoral College votes. Still, Collins beat her Democratic challenger readily in 2020 despite polls showing her behind and former President Joe Biden winning the popular vote in the state. The state is also known for its independent political spirit: Sen. Angus King, an independent, also represents Maine in Washington and caucuses with the Democrats.
A Sept. 9 CNN/SSRS poll of 880 likely Maine voters showed 48% backed Jackson and 45% backed Collins, a margin within the poll's sampling error, pointing to another tight race.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI probed Sen. Susan Collins campaign corruption until 2025: reports
