FBI Bribery Investigation Into Senator Susan Collins Reportedly Ended After Trump Reelection
According to a ProPublica investigation, the FBI had been preparing a major bribery investigation into Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and more than a dozen other members of Congress over an alleged pay-to-play donation scheme. However, the inquiry was quietly shut down in 2025 after the Trump administration gutted the bureau’s public corruption unit, which had been handling the case. ProPublica described Collins as the most important lawmaker named in the alleged scheme, marking a significant development in her two-decade Senate career.
The report claims that Scott Reed, head of the Collins super PAC, sought $500,000 from Navatek in 2019 to boost Collins’ re-election bid. This came after the senator helped the company land a multimillion-dollar Navy research contract in Maine a year earlier. Navatek, under the leadership of its CEO, was eager for more government contracts in Maine, and Collins was its most important patron among the politicians it courted. Sometimes, the company cut checks within 24 hours of the annual defense spending bill clearing a key Senate hurdle, which funds military contracts. For the first time in her Senate career, Collins was in danger of losing her seat, making the alleged scheme particularly consequential.
The FBI’s investigation was reportedly preparing to examine Collins’s role in the scheme, but the timing of its termination raises questions. After President Trump won reelection, the Trump administration dismantled the FBI’s public corruption unit, and the inquiry into Collins and others was quietly closed. The ProPublica report highlights concerns about political interference and the weakening of oversight mechanisms. Neither Collins nor representatives for Navatek have issued a public response to the allegations. The story continues to draw attention as it underscores the intersection of money, politics, and justice in Washington.
Shimanta Das 
