ProPublica reminds us to shine a light on dark money | Jordan Wood
ProPublica Report Details Alleged Pay-to-Play Scheme Involving Sen. Collins, Defense Contractor; FBI Probe Ended After Trump Purge, Records Show
AUBURN — A new ProPublica investigation has brought renewed scrutiny to the relationship between U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office and a Hawaii-based defense contractor, alleging a pattern of illegal campaign contributions exchanged for millions of dollars in Navy contracts. The reporting, based on emails and court records, also reveals that an FBI investigation into the senator’s senior political staff was active as recently as early 2025 before being shut down following a purge of the responsible Justice Department unit by the Trump administration.
The allegations center on Martin Kao, the CEO of Navatek Ltd., a defense technology firm. Kao pleaded guilty in 2021 to fraud charges related to the Paycheck Protection Program and admitted to a separate scheme involving illegal campaign contributions to more than a dozen federal lawmakers from both parties.
According to emails published by ProPublica, Collins’ official office steered roughly $32 million in Navy contracts to Navatek during the same period her campaign and an affiliated super PAC received contributions from Kao that violated federal law.
Straw Donor Scheme
The first alleged violation occurred during Collins’ 2020 re-election campaign. Federal limits cap individual contributions at $2,800 per election. ProPublica reports that Kao sought to give above that limit and instructed the campaign to falsely report the excess funds as coming from his father — a classic “straw donor” scheme, which carries felony penalties.
“This is perfect,” Collins’ finance director, Amy Abbott, replied in an email to Kao, according to the records.
Abbott remains the campaign’s finance director. She is married to Steve Abbott, who serves as Collins’ campaign manager and previously held the role of chief of staff in her Senate office.
Super PAC and Shell Company
The second alleged violation involves Dirigo PAC, a super PAC supporting Collins that has been run since 2020 by Scott Reed, a veteran Republican operative and longtime friend of Collins’ husband, Thomas Daffron.
Federal law prohibits government contractors like Navatek from contributing to super PACs. Despite this, emails show Reed solicited Kao for a $500,000 donation. Kao proposed routing the money through a shell company that would be “very difficult to get any background info on.”
Reed responded that the arrangement would be “very smart,” according to the emails. Kao sought assurance that Collins would know the donation originated with him. Reed allegedly confirmed the senator would be informed, and Collins’ staff requested Kao’s phone number so she could thank him personally.
Weeks after the check cleared, Kao emailed Navatek executives: “Total of $32M will be supported.”
Ongoing FBI Investigation, Then a Purge
Collins has dismissed the allegations as relying solely on the testimony of a convicted felon and has stated the Biden Justice Department cleared her in 2021. ProPublica’s reporting contradicts that claim. The outlet obtained evidence that FBI agents were actively reviewing emails implicating Collins’ most senior political aides — including Abbott and Reed — as recently as February 2025.
That investigation ended after President Donald Trump, upon returning to office, removed the leadership of the Public Integrity Section, the unit responsible for probing public corruption.
No one in Collins’ political operation has faced legal consequences. Amy Abbott remains finance director. Scott Reed continues to operate the super PAC.
Broader Implications and Calls for Action
The ProPublica story notes that Kao’s cooperation agreement identified more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties who benefited from similar arrangements. Jordan Wood, a former Democratic congressional candidate and former chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), wrote in a column for the Portland Press Herald that the matter warrants an immediate, independent investigation and action by the Senate Ethics Committee.
Wood, who lives in Auburn and grew up in Lewiston, argued that the case underscores the need for systemic reform: mandatory disclosure of super PAC and dark money donors, public matching of small-dollar contributions — a system already in place in Maine — and legislation to prevent super PACs from functioning as de facto extensions of candidate campaigns.
Collins has voted against such reforms. Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat, has pledged to champion them at the state level.
A spokesperson for Collins did not respond to specific questions about the emails or the FBI investigation by deadline. In previous statements, the senator’s office has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations politically motivated and noting that Kao’s credibility is compromised by his felony convictions.
The Senate Ethics Committee has not announced a preliminary inquiry.
