Public disputes concerning political fundraising, campaign spending, PAC and dark-money activity, disclosure requirements, and claims about who is financing political campaigns and for what purpose.
Published coverage on this page: 1 case · 7 statements. Statements are ordered newest first.
Martin Kao alleged that Susan Collins knowingly linked Navatek campaign support to federal-contract assistance. Collins's office and other participants deny a quid pro quo, while official records establish separate illegal contributions by Navatek-linked actors.
Published
Read the caseLabels describe a response to the linked claim or the action explained in the statement summary. Choose one or more.
7 matching statements
Role at the time: Democratic U.S. Senate nominee challenging Collins in Maine
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
“This is corruption of the highest order. Susan Collins delivered millions in taxpayer dollars for a corrupt donor bankrolling her campaign, and then Donald Trump helped her cover it up.”
Relative to the alleged exchange of campaign support for contract assistance, Jackson expressly calls the conduct corruption and attacks Collins for it. This is substantive condemnation.
Role at the time: Deputy chief of staff to U.S. Senator Susan Collins
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
Quotation excerpt
“The seven-year-old allegations made against Senator Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false. There have never been any allegations of wrongdoing by the Collins for Senator campaign, and the campaign was never the target…”
“The seven-year-old allegations made against Senator Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false. There have never been any allegations of wrongdoing by the Collins for Senator campaign, and the campaign was never the target of the FBI investigation.”
Relative to the alleged knowing exchange of Navatek campaign support for federal-contract assistance, Clark explicitly says the allegations against Collins and her staff are false. That is a direct denial, not merely a challenge to wording.
Role at the time: Founder of Navatek, in a statement to ProPublica
Statement summary
Steven Loui, who founded Navatek and later regained control of the company after selling it to Martin Kao, said Kao's approach to winning contracts was unethical and illegal and a departure from how he ran the company before selling it, and said Navatek received no Collins-supported funding after Kao's arrest.
“The company received no Collins-supported funding after Martin Kao's arrest, nor should it. What Martin Kao and his cabal did was wrong.”
What this label refers to
The case's fixed reference point is whether Collins knowingly traded contract support for campaign donations. Loui condemns Kao's individual conduct and distances the company he founded from it, but does not address whether Collins herself was aware of or complicit in the arrangement. This reframes the wrongdoing as Kao's alone rather than directly evaluating Collins's conduct, so it challenges the scope of the allegation rather than condemning or excusing Collins.
Role at the time: Navatek lobbyist and co-founder of Strategic Marketing Innovations
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
“I did not advise Navatek officials, nor would I advise any client, that support from Sen. Collins was contingent on campaign donations.”
Relative to the alleged exchange, Mandigo expressly says he did not make support contingent on donations and never observed such behavior from Collins or her staff. This directly denies the alleged conduct.
Role at the time: Former Navatek strategist and lobbyist
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
Quotation excerpt
“The political contributions I discussed with Kao were understood by me to be lawful political contributions. I never participated in, witnessed, or had knowledge of any illegal political contribution, bribe, or agreement to exchange a…”
“The political contributions I discussed with Kao were understood by me to be lawful political contributions. I never participated in, witnessed, or had knowledge of any illegal political contribution, bribe, or agreement to exchange a political contribution for an appropriation, contract, or other official action.”
Relative to the alleged Collins–Navatek exchange, Winer denies his own knowledge, participation and advice but does not make a categorical claim about every other participant. He therefore challenges the characterization and evidentiary link rather than fully denying the case-level conduct.
Role at the time: Federal law-enforcement agency, speaking through spokesperson Ben Williamson
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
“and ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false.”
Relative to the allegation that Collins knowingly participated in the arrangement, the FBI says its earlier investigation found nothing implicating her or her campaign and calls contrary suggestions false. This is a denial, limited to the earlier investigation.
Role at the time: Chair of 1820 PAC
Response to this claim
Susan Collins knowingly participated in a pay-to-play arrangement in which Navatek campaign support was exchanged for her office's assistance obtaining federal contracts.
“I understand Martin Kao is now sitting in federal prison. I never had any communications with Senator Collins [or] her staff about Martin Kao and/or Navatek.”
Relative to the alleged knowing Collins–Navatek exchange, Reed denies communicating with Collins or her staff about Kao or Navatek. The statement contests a key attribution but does not deny every part of the alleged arrangement, so challenges_characterization is more precise than a full denial.
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine.
1 case and 1 statement
Annie Clark is a political communications professional who serves as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Senator Susan Collins. She previously served as Collins's communications director from 2015 to 2025, including as communications director for Collins's 2020 reelection campaign, and later worked at ROKK Solutions.
1 case and 1 statement
Steven Loui founded the defense engineering firm Navatek in 1978, sold it to Martin Kao, and later regained control of the company, renaming it PacMar.
1 case and 1 statement
Glen Mandigo is a retired government-relations executive and former registered lobbyist. He co-founded Strategic Marketing Innovations, a Washington firm focused on federal appropriations, technology, defense, energy and research funding, and served as its president and chief executive officer.
1 case and 1 statement
Andy Winer is a Washington government-relations and public-affairs professional and attorney. He previously served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, held senior roles at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Strategies 360, and has advised government, nonprofit and private-sector clients on federal policy and appropriations.
1 case and 1 statement
Scott Reed is a Republican political strategist and campaign consultant. He has served as a senior political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and as chairman of 1820 PAC, an independent-expenditure committee formed to support Susan Collins's 2020 Senate campaign.
1 case and 1 statement
Martin Kao is a former Hawaii defense-contractor executive who served as president and chief executive officer of Navatek and Martin Defense Group. He previously served as Navatek's chief financial officer and later pleaded guilty in federal campaign-finance and Paycheck Protection Program fraud cases.
1 case
United States Senator and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine.
1 case
