Democrats accuse Susan Collins of corruption after bombshell ‘pay-to-play’ report
Republican senator calls bribery allegation ‘categorically false’ as ProPublica reports Trump derailed FBI inquiry
TL;DR
- Democrats accuse Senator Susan Collins of corruption based on a ProPublica report alleging a bribery scheme.
- The report claims an FBI bribery investigation into Collins was proposed but allegedly derailed by Donald Trump.
- Collins's campaign denies the allegations, calling them "categorically false" and citing a lack of charges from the Justice Department.
- The story emerges during a critical election year, impacting the close race for Collins's Senate seat.
- The firm involved, Navatek, allegedly sought assurances of government contracts after donating $150,000 to Collins's Super Pac via a shell company.
- The CEO of Navatek, Martin Kao, is currently in federal prison for fraud charges.
- Democrats view the report as significant grist in their efforts to unseat the long-serving Republican senator.
- Collins's campaign manager states the Biden-led Justice Department and FBI investigated and found no basis for charges.
- Strategists note that while the report is not necessarily a "silver bullet," it is unhelpful for Collins, especially given headwinds from Donald Trump's low approval ratings.