Trump Halted Sen. Collins Probe

ProPublica reported the FBI’s anti-corruption investigation was expanding into Sen. Susan Collins and others. It said the probe was effectively killed or stalled after President Trump returned and the bureau team was dismantled. In 2019, as Collins faced a hard reelection fight, super PAC chief Scott Reed met Navatek executives and asked for a $500,000 donation. Navatek executives allegedly tied any gift to help securing tens of millions in federal funding and Maine contracts. CEO Martin Kao later sent $150,000 through a shell company. Prosecutors indicted Kao in 2022 over illegal contributions; no Collins worker was charged. The FBI said it found nothing implicating Collins or her campaign, and Collins’s office denied the allegations. Whether the broader inquiry proceeds remains unresolved.