Full Breakdown
Allegations of Pay-to-Play Involving Sen. Susan Collins, Navatek and the FBI
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
ProPublica reported that Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) was linked to a pay-to-play scheme with Hawaii-based defense contractor Navatek. Navatek’s former CEO, Martin Kao, told FBI agents he provided a $150,000 contribution to Collins’s super-PAC through a shell company in 2019 and, in return, Collins pledged to secure roughly $32 million in naval contracts. The investigation was halted after President Donald Trump took office in 2025.
Background & Context
- Navatek and Martin Kao – Kao was convicted in 2022 of campaign-finance fraud, money-laundering, wire fraud and bank fraud related to separate COVID-relief fraud. He began cooperating with federal investigators in 2020, offering details of alleged “cash-for-contracts” arrangements involving several members of Congress.
- FBI investigation – The FBI opened a bribery probe in 2024 after Kao’s disclosures, focusing on whether Navatek’s donations were exchanged for federal contracts. The probe was discontinued in 2025 when the Trump administration restructured the bureau’s public-corruption unit.
- Political timing – The ProPublica story appeared weeks before the November 2026 Senate election in which Collins seeks a sixth term against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.
Data & Statistics
- Contract value – Internal Navatek emails cited by ProPublica claim Collins committed to obtaining $32 million in naval contracts for the company.
- Sentencing – Kao received an 87-month federal prison sentence in 2025 for the unrelated COVID-relief fraud and campaign-finance offenses.
- Investigation timeline – The alleged FBI inquiry began in 2024, was “shuttered” in 2025, and, according to Collins’s staff, has had no contact with the senator’s office since 2021.
Official Statements & Responses
- Annie Clark, deputy chief of staff – Clark asserted that the Collins campaign “the fact that the FBI and Biden-led Department of Justice thoroughly examined the Navatek matter demonstrates this.” She called the ProPublica claims “categorically false” and said the issues were resolved in 2021.
- The spokesperson added that personnel removals at the FBI occur only for unethical conduct.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Credibility of Kao’s testimony – Sources differ on whether Kao’s statements were reliable. Some outlets note his convictions and describe his claims as “outlandish,” while ProPublica treats his disclosures as the basis for the report.
- Scope of the investigation – Several reports indicate the investigation was in early stages when terminated, leaving unanswered questions about any alleged quid-pro-quo arrangements.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This is corruption of the highest order. Susan Collins delivered millions in taxpayer dollars for a corrupt donor bankrolling her campaign, and thenDonald Trumphelped her cover it up,” — Troy Jackson, former president of the Maine Senate
- “Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false," said Clark.” — Annie Clark, deputy chief of staff
What’s Next
Collins is slated to appear on the ballot in the November 2026 Senate election in Maine. Polls indicate a competitive contest between Collins and Jackson. No further federal action has been announced regarding the Navatek matter.