Susan Collins rejects reports linking her to FBI bribery probe
The allegations involve a super PAC that supported Collins’s 2020 reelection, while the FBI has not answered questions about a reported 2024 investigation.
Fox News reported that Sen. Susan Collins of Maine dismissed reports linking her to an FBI bribery investigation, calling them the work of Democratic operatives and a convicted fraudster.
“He is a convicted liar”
Senator and super PAC
The dispute concerns a sitting senator and allegations about a super PAC that supported her 2020 reelection campaign1.
What the reporting says
ProPublica reported that Martin Kao, a former defense contractor CEO and convicted fraudster, told the FBI his company used a shell company to donate to a super PAC backing Collins1. Kao described the arrangement as part of a broader pay-to-play operation involving political contributions and government contracts, Fox News reported1. Fox News reported that a 2019 email showed Collins advocated for Navatek, then led by Kao, months before the donation1. Collins questioned Kao’s credibility, citing his convictions, and said, “He is a convicted liar.”1 FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told ProPublica that an earlier investigation found nothing implicating Collins or her campaign; Collins said federal officials had cleared her office, campaign and herself five years ago1. ProPublica reported that the FBI did not respond to questions about a new investigation it said began in 2024; Collins did not directly address that reported investigation1.
The reported donation
ProPublica reported that $150,000 was routed through a shell company to a super PAC supporting Collins’s 2020 reelection; the reported donation went to the PAC, not directly to Collins1.
What remains unanswered
The next point to watch is whether the FBI publicly addresses the reported 2024 investigation1.
” The earlier statements concerned the prior investigation, not the reported 2024 investigation.
Sources
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