Maine Dems hammer Collins over report of pay-to-play probe. GOP senator calls it 'completely false'

Maine Democrats escalated their attack on U.S. Sen. Susan Collins after ProPublica reported that the FBI planned in 2024 to examine what Collins knew about alleged illegal campaign contributions tied to Navatek, a Hawaii defense contractor and her donor. The story says an investigation aimed at a pay-to-play scheme never began after Donald Trump took office. The timing matters: the report landed six weeks before Collins seeks a sixth term against Democrat Troy Jackson, in one of November’s most competitive Senate races. Collins called the claims “absolutely outrageous,” while her campaign manager said the allegations are false. An FBI spokesperson said the allegations were investigated years earlier and found nothing implicating Collins.