FBI Closed 2025 Probe Into Susan Collins Adviser as 87-Month Fraud Convict's Claims Faltered
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
FBI Closed 2025 Probe Into Susan Collins Adviser as 87-Month Fraud Convict's Claims Faltered
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
Summary
The FBI ended in 2025 an inquiry into whether a top adviser to Senator Susan Collins helped channel illegal campaign donations from defense contractor Navatek.
Martin Kao — Navatek’s former chief executive, now serving an 87-month sentence — had told investigators he discussed evading campaign-finance laws with Collins adviser Scott Reed.
Senior bureau officials under the Trump administration closed the case after questioning Kao’s credibility, and agents found little evidence corroborating his allegations, though officials said more might have emerged with a longer investigation.
The disclosure lands weeks before a tight midterm race that could decide Senate control, fueling accusations the shutdown protected a pivotal Republican seat; Collins’s office called the claims categorically false and said the campaign cooperated fully.