FBI Anti-Corruption Probe Into Susan Collins Halted After Trump Return

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) “angrily” lashed out Tuesday at new reporting detailing an alleged campaign cash bribery scheme involving her office.

Collins denied the allegations and blamed the report on a Senate colleague, according to Punchbowl News. ProPublica's report alleged Collins' office helped steer millions of tax dollars into Navatek, a defense contractor, in exchange for illegal campaign contributions funneled through a shell company. Collins stated, “This was investigated by the Biden Justice Department and the FBI. In 2021, the Biden Justice Department found there was no wrongdoing by anyone on my campaign staff, my office or me. This is absolutely outrageous.”

The report claims the FBI anti-corruption squad was investigating Collins, but the probe was shut down shortly after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Martin Kao, a former Navatek CEO, is currently serving an 87-month sentence for money laundering and bank fraud. ProPublica reported that in late 2019, Scott Reed, head of a pro-Collins super PAC, met with Navatek executives.

A year prior, Collins had helped Navatek secure a multimillion-dollar Navy research contract. Reed allegedly asked for a $500,000 donation from the company. Government contractors are prohibited from making political contributions. Navatek's CEO reportedly told Reed that if they made a large donation, they wanted Collins to guarantee tens of millions of dollars in additional federal funding.

Navatek planned to funnel the donation through a shell company, and the CEO sought assurance that Collins would know the source of the money. Reed reportedly confirmed she would, and Navatek would receive its government contracts. Kao told FBI agents and federal prosecutors in 2022 about this 2019 meeting.