Collins campaign says it has no record of Collins calling Kao to thank him
Susan CollinsRepublican U.S. senator from Maine, through campaign spokesperson Blake Kernen
Asked by the Portland Press Herald whether Susan Collins called Navatek CEO Martin Kao to thank him for a 2019 super PAC donation, her campaign spokesperson said there is no record of the call and that neither Collins nor anyone who worked for her believes she made it.
“Neither Susan Collins nor anyone who worked for her believes that she made a call”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did Susan Collins Trade Federal Contract Support for Navatek Campaign Donations?
Former Navatek chief executive Martin Kao told FBI agents that Susan Collins and people around her knowingly participated in an arrangement connecting campaign support to federal-contract assistance. Collins's office, an FBI spokesperson and several participants dispute that account. Criminal proceedings and an FEC settlement established illegal contributions by Navatek-linked actors, but no public charge or court finding establishes that Collins knowingly joined a quid pro quo.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Press Herald explainer on the campaign-finance and contracting laws tied to the Navatek allegations. It includes the Collins campaign's answer, through spokesperson Blake Kernen, to whether Collins called Martin Kao to thank him for the shell-company donation that ProPublica reported, and comments from campaign-finance experts.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Press Herald asked whether Collins herself would comment on whether she called Kao. Campaign spokesperson Blake Kernen said it "does not appear in any of our records that this call was made."
After the quotation
The campaign and its manager, Steve Abbott, had said the week before that they did "not believe" the senator ever called Kao.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Collins traded federal contract support for Navatek campaign donations. ProPublica reported that a Reed aide sought Kao's number because Collins "would like to call Martin to thank him." The campaign denies the call took place, so we labeled it Denies.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCollins calls the Navatek allegations completely false
“The allegations are completely false ... We have a picture of his meeting with me and with other people in my office that is many months before he ever made a single contribution ... He spun this story up again in the hopes that the judge would be lenient, or the prosecutor would be.”Read statement
Abbott says a photo disproves the claim that Kao had to donate before meeting Collins
“ProPublica has the theory that Martin Kao, based on Martin Kao's word, had to make a donation before he could get in to see Susan Collins. As you can see from that picture, it's not true”Read statement
Emma Vigeland calls the Navatek accusations against Susan Collins well documented
“Here is Susan Collins getting pressed about this story on the Wall Street Journal podcast, and she says she's very offended about these accusations that are well-documented by one of the only outlets doing real journalism in this country anymore, ProPublica.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Collins campaign says it has no record of Collins calling Kao to thank him". First published: 2026-10-05. Last updated: 2026-10-05. https://disputeindex.com/events/4629-asked-by-the-portland-press-herald-whether-susan