Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) denounced a ProPublica report about an FBI inquiry into an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving her office, her super PAC (political committee that can raise unlimited funds independently), and defense contractor Navatek. The report cited former Navatek CEO Martin Cao, also referred to as Kao, along with 2019 emails and correspondence that allegedly showed Collins’s super PAC seeking donations from Navatek executives in exchange for efforts to secure government contracts. Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the report a partisan hit job and questioned the credibility of Kao, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2022 and received an 87-month prison sentence in 2025 for COVID-19 relief wire and bank fraud. Collins is facing Democrat Troy Jackson in a difficult reelection contest. Her campaign manager Steve Abbott and deputy chief of staff Annie Clark denied the allegations, saying the campaign was not the target of the FBI inquiry, cooperated fully, and provided all requested documents. Clark also said the FBI and Department of Justice investigated the Navatek matter during the Biden Administration. ProPublica reported that several federal officials involved in the investigation were removed from the Trump administration or resigned during the president’s second term.