Maine Sen. Susan Collins has forcefully rejected allegations detailed in a ProPublica report that she was implicated in an FBI bribery investigation. Collins characterized the report as a "political hit job" and questioned the credibility of the accuser, Martin Kao, a former defense contractor CEO convicted of fraud.
According to the report, Kao told the FBI that his company channeled $150,000 through a shell company to a super PAC supporting Collins' 2020 reelection bid. Kao reportedly described this as part of a larger pay-to-play scheme involving political contributions and government contracts. ProPublica stated that Kao's cooperation with federal agents led to a new phase of the investigation, which evolved into a broader bribery probe.
Collins dismissed Kao's account, telling The Wall Street Journal, "I've got to say, I do not understand how anyone would take the word of a felon who's been convicted twice, twice, two separate cases, of five counts of money laundering, counts of bank fraud, false submissions to the FEC. He is a convicted liar."
She also suggested to Punchbowl News that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats were behind the report, citing its timing as suspicious. Collins is currently engaged in a close reelection campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson, a race that could influence party control of the Senate.
Campaign finance records cited by ProPublica indicate that a shell company linked to Kao made a donation to a super PAC supporting Collins' 2020 campaign. The report also claims to have obtained emails showing the head of that super PAC was aware that Kao had used a shell company to disguise his donation, which federal contractors are prohibited from making.
An email from a naval officer, dated months before the alleged donation, shows Collins had previously advocated on behalf of Navatek, the contractor Kao led at the time. Kao reportedly hoped that cooperating with the FBI would reduce his prison sentence, though the judge reportedly offered no leniency.
An FBI spokesman told ProPublica that an investigation into Collins years ago "ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false." However, the FBI did not comment to ProPublica regarding a new investigation reportedly launched in 2024 after Kao's years of cooperation.
Collins stated, "The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign, and me five years ago of these seven-year-old allegations," without directly addressing the reported 2024 investigation.
Collins described the situation as a "smear job" and expressed offense "for my staff too, both on the campaign and in the personal office."