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

Maine Democrats escalated their criticism of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins after ProPublica reported that the FBI planned in 2024 to investigate how much she knew about illegal campaign contributions tied to donor Navatek. ProPublica said the alleged pay-to-play probe would have focused on Collins’ dealings with the Hawaii defense contractor and that it did not move forward after President Donald Trump took office. The report landed six weeks before Collins seeks a sixth term against Democrat Troy Jackson in a race seen as competitive, with Democrats aiming to win Senate control. Collins called the story “absolutely outrageous” and her campaign manager said claims of charging for meetings and accepting contributions for contracts were false. Republicans and Democrats sparred further as the FBI said the allegations had been investigated and found nothing implicating Collins or her campaign.