NewsCenter Maine: Maine attorney urges ethics probe into Susan Collins ‘pay-to-play’ allegations

Augusta, ME – A new report from the Portland Press Herald reveals that a Maine attorney has filed a complaint with the US Senate Ethics Committee against Susan Collins. The complaint urges the committee to conduct an investigation into the allegations revealed in ProPublica’s bombshell investigation that Collins was being looked into by the FBI for a pay-to-play scheme involving a federal contractor who donated to a Super PAC supporting her campaign.

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Portland Press Herald: Democrat files ethics complaint against Susan Collins over alleged pay-to-play scheme

By Randy Billings

October 7, 2026

• A former Democratic candidate for Cumberland County District Attorney on Wednesday filed a formal ethics complaint against Republican Sen. Susan Collins over pay-to-play allegations involving a defense contractor.

• Attorney Valerie Adams asked the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics to conduct an investigation into the allegations outlined in a recent ProPublica report that Collins agreed to steer millions of dollars in contracts to the Hawaii-based firm Navatek in exchange for political donations from its CEO Martin Kao.

• “It is difficult to conceive of behavior more improper than accepting campaign contributions in return for directing taxpayer funded government contracts to an out of state company,” Adams said in a letter to Chairman James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and Vice Chairman Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, obtained by the Portland Press Herald.

• “The reporting from ProPublica suggests Senator Collins may have done just that,” she continued. “It is the Committee’s duty to get to the bottom of this.” […]

• …the committee has investigated senators in the past, probing then Democratic Sen. Al Franken for alleged sexual misconduct in 2017, and then-Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey in 2018 for improperly accepting gifts. […]

• The filing comes as Democrats are working to amplify the corruption allegations against Collins. In doing so, they are trying to put a negative light on her central argument for reelection — that she is wielding her power as chair of the appropriations committee to benefit Maine.

• In her letter, Adams asked the committee to “urgently investigate whether Senator Collins engaged in improper conduct that reflects discredit upon the Senate” by:

• Steering $8 million in contracts to Navatek in exchange for political donations;

• Knowingly accepting contributions made in the name of another in violation of campaign finance law; or

• Working with President Donald Trump to stop the investigation.

• In an interview Wednesday, Adams dismissed any suggestion that the complaint was politically motivated or aimed at influencing voters in Maine’s U.S. Senate race. She described herself as a former Collins supporter.

• Adams said she was troubled by what ProPublica reported and believes the allegations should be looked into.

• “There’s never been a more important time to demand the best of our elected officials,” Adams said. “And I truly believe that.” […]

• The ProPublica article also detailed how Kao told investigators that he worked with the leader of a Collins-aligned super PAC to exchange a six-figure donation to her 2020 reelection effort for millions in government contracts.

• Kao made an illegal $150,000 donation to the Collins-aligned 1820 PAC through a shell company, since federal contractors are barred from contributing to campaigns. ProPublica reported that Kao told Scott Reed, the head of the pro-Collins Super PAC, about his plan to use a shell company to make the donation. […]

• ProPublica reported that the FBI was gearing up for a widespread corruption probe of Collins and other members of Congress based on statements Kao made to investigators between 2022 and 2024. The outlet reported that the investigation was abandoned when Trump returned to office in 2025 and disbanded anti-corruption units.

NewsCenter Maine: Maine attorney urges ethics probe into Susan Collins ‘pay-to-play’ allegations

• A Maine attorney has filed a complaint with the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee asking it to investigate allegations that Republican Sen. Susan Collins engaged in a “pay-to-play” arrangement involving a defense contractor and campaign contributions.

• Valarie Adams, who recently ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Cumberland County district attorney, announced the complaint Thursday night.

• Adams is asking the ethics committee to investigate allegations made in recent reporting by ProPublica involving Collins and Martin Kao, the former CEO of defense contractor Navatek and a contributor to Collins’ campaigns.

• “The allegations against Senator Collins are very serious and warrant further investigation,” Adams said in a statement.

• She added that if Collins “has done nothing wrong, then she should not shy away from scrutiny. And if she has engaged in a bribery scheme as alleged, then her constituents have a right to know.”