Susan Collins tears into bribery allegations as new claims emerge during critical Senate battle

Susan Collins is pushing back against allegations that she benefited from an illegal campaign contribution tied to a federal bribery probe, as she fights to hold her Senate seat in Maine against Democrat Troy Jackson in a race that could help decide Senate control in 2027. The allegations stem from Martin Kao, a former defense contractor executive with two prior fraud convictions, who told the FBI his company moved $150,000 through a shell company into a super PAC that backed Collins in 2020, part of what he characterized as a pay-to-play scheme tied to government contracts. That cooperation reportedly helped federal investigators expand their bribery inquiry. Records show the shell company's donation went to the pro-Collins super PAC, and emails indicate the PAC's leader, Scott Reed, knew Kao had disguised the source of the money. A 2019 email also shows Collins had supported Kao's company, Navatek, with a Navy official, though that came before the shell-company donation was made; contractors like Navatek are legally barred from giving to campaigns. Collins has rejected the credibility of the claims, noting Kao's fraud, money laundering, bank fraud and false FEC filing convictions and telling Kim Strassel of The Wall Street Journal she doesn't understand relying on such a source. She separately told Punchbowl News that Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, orchestrated what she called a politically timed smear against her campaign, according to Fox News.

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