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Susan Collins Denies Bribery Allegations Amid Senate Re-Election Battle
Confirmed
In Short: Maine Sen. Susan Collins dismissed new bribery allegations as a 'political hit job' and a smear campaign.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, dismissed new bribery allegations as a 'political hit job' and a smear campaign, calling into question the origins of the story.
Collins told Fox News, 'The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign and me five years ago of these 7-year-old allegations,' without addressing a new investigation launched in 2024.
The FBI did not respond to ProPublica's questions about the new investigation, which developed into a broader bribery probe after Kao, a known conman, spent years cooperating with federal agents.
Collins is currently embroiled in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson, with the outcome potentially determining which party controls the Senate in 2027.
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen noted the importance of finding a viable candidate to challenge Susan Collins, as the Democratic scramble for a new candidate continues following Graham Platner's withdrawal amid assault allegations.
In a separate interview with Punchbowl News, Collins blamed Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the controversy, calling the report a 'political hit job' and questioning its timing.
Collins has acknowledged that the tariffs on Canada are 'terrible for Maine' and are making the job of re-election a lot harder, as Canada is Maine’s largest trading partner and many of the state’s critical industries are integrated with Canadian sectors.
While Collins’ seat in Maine could be the most vulnerable, it’s not the only one being rattled by Trump’s attacks on Canada as Republicans look to hold power in Congress.
In Georgia, Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee for Senate, launched his first congressional campaign a few months after Trump pressed Georgia's secretary of state to find enough votes to reverse his 2020 loss.
Now she has not ruled out voting for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, in part because of Collins' positions on the 2020 election.
In one campaign ad from that race, Collins falsely claimed that Trump won Georgia and said, 'Georgians are tired of weak-kneed, spineless politicians who won't fight for Trump, get to the bottom of 2020 and fix our elections.' The spot ended with Collins firing a long gun into a bin with a 'voting machine' label.
The Collins campaign did not respond to NPR's request for comment.
What this adds
The FBI's silence on the new investigation leaves questions about the current status of the probe.
While Collins dismisses the allegations, her campaign's lack of response to NPR's inquiries adds to the controversy.
What's confirmed
- Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, dismissed new bribery allegations as a 'political hit job' and a smear campaign, calling into question the origins of the story.
- Collins told Fox News, 'The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign and me five years ago of these 7-year-old allegations,' without addressing a new investigation launched in 2024.
- The FBI did not respond to ProPublica's questions about the new investigation, which developed into a broader bribery probe after Kao, a known conman, spent years cooperating with federal agents.
- Collins is currently embroiled in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson, with the outcome potentially determining which party controls the Senate in 2027.
- Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen noted the importance of finding a viable candidate to challenge Susan Collins, as the Democratic scramble for a new candidate continues following Graham Platner's withdrawal amid assault allegations.
- In a separate interview with Punchbowl News, Collins blamed Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the controversy, calling the report a 'political hit job' and questioning its timing.
- Collins has acknowledged that the tariffs on Canada are 'terrible for Maine' and are making the job of re-election a lot harder, as Canada is Maine’s largest trading partner and many of the state’s critical industries are integrated with Canadian sectors.
- While Collins’ seat in Maine could be the most vulnerable, it’s not the only one being rattled by Trump’s attacks on Canada as Republicans look to hold power in Congress.
- In Georgia, Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee for Senate, launched his first congressional campaign a few months after Trump pressed Georgia's secretary of state to find enough votes to reverse his 2020 loss.
- Now she has not ruled out voting for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, in part because of Collins' positions on the 2020 election.
- In one campaign ad from that race, Collins falsely claimed that Trump won Georgia and said, 'Georgians are tired of weak-kneed, spineless politicians who won't fight for Trump, get to the bottom of 2020 and fix our elections.' The spot ended with Collins firing a long gun into a bin with a 'voting machine' label.
- The Collins campaign did not respond to NPR's request for comment.
What's still developing
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- Shortly after the story broke, Collins spoke up to dismiss Kao on the basis of his character and called into question the origins of the story.
- Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) Campaign finance records cited by ProPublica show that a shell company established by Kao made a donation to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 re-election campaign.
- "This is a smear job. And as someone who has always prided herself on serving with integrity, it really offends me," Collins said.
- Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, July 24, 2025.
- It’s not clear whether the Trump administration’s claims about the trade war are breaking through.
- Then at a local Republican meeting last fall, Rogers claimed the Senate seat was stolen from him, according to a video of the meeting obtained by NPR.
- And while many Republican candidates, even in some critical tossup races, still back the president's baseless claims about election integrity, some GOP voters say they are ready to move on.