'A smear job': Collins responds to ProPublica's corruption claims
Collins rejected ProPublica’s account and called it a partisan hit job.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYWMTW is an established local news outlet, and this article identifies its author and attributes the central allegations and responses to named sources. It also includes local reporting and interviews, though much of the account relies on ProPublica’s reporting rather than independent verification here.
- Source type — Established local-news outlet with a regional reporting role.
- Source diversity — Includes attributed accounts from ProPublica, Collins, an FBI spokesperson, a ProPublica reporter and a Senate candidate.
- Author attribution — A named author is credited.
- Original reporting — Includes local interviews and responses, while relying substantially on ProPublica’s account of the investigation.
The article attributes the allegations and includes responses from Collins, the FBI, ProPublica and her election challenger. It distinguishes the earlier review from the reported 2024 investigation, but does not independently establish the underlying allegations or provide detailed documentary evidence of its own.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents Collins’s denial alongside ProPublica’s account and its reporter’s defense, and includes Jackson’s criticism and Collins’s campaign manager’s response. It does not independently resolve the allegations or extensively examine the evidence behind them.
- Counterarguments presented — Collins and her campaign reject the allegations, while ProPublica defends its reporting.
- Source diversity — The piece includes multiple sources with differing positions, including an FBI spokesperson.
- Omitted context — The article does not independently assess the underlying records or explain the status of the reported 2024 investigation beyond ProPublica’s account.
- Loaded language — Strongly charged descriptions are attributed to Collins and Jackson rather than adopted as the article’s voice.
The article reports the allegations and Collins’s denial, and includes responses from ProPublica and Jackson. Its language is largely attributed to the people involved rather than presenting a clear partisan framing of its own.
- Language tone — Most charged terms are presented as quotations or attributed claims.
- Source selection — Includes voices defending Collins, defending the reporting and criticizing Collins.
- Framing — The article centers on Collins’s response while also explaining the allegations prompting it.
Susan Collins called ProPublica’s report alleging a bribery investigation involving her a “smear job” and defended her record. ProPublica defended its reporting, while Senate candidate Troy Jackson called the alleged conduct corruption and said voters deserve answers.
ProPublica reported that the FBI sought in 2024 to investigate interactions between Collins and donor Martin Kao, citing records, emails and Kao’s cooperation. The report said Kao told investigators his company won federal contracts by supporting politicians’ campaigns, and described an email in which he said Collins committed to obtaining naval contracts in Maine after a $150,000 payment to a super PAC supporting her. ProPublica also reported that the investigation ended after Donald Trump returned to office. These are claims attributed to ProPublica, not findings established in this article.
On a podcast, Collins called the report a partisan hit job and cited Kao’s convictions and an earlier FBI and Justice Department review that she and the host said cleared her. An FBI spokesperson separately told ProPublica that the earlier investigation found nothing implicating Collins or her campaign; ProPublica said the spokesperson did not answer questions about the investigation launched in 2024. A ProPublica reporter defended the reporting process. Jackson called the allegations corruption and demanded answers, while Collins’s campaign manager said they were false and repeated attacks on Collins.
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SWIPE →Maine senator responding to allegations reported by ProPublica
President described in ProPublica’s account of the investigation’s end
Maine Senate candidate criticizing Collins over the allegations
Part of a bigger story
34 OUTLETSProPublica reported that FBI agents pursued a broader corruption inquiry that included allegations involving Susan Collins and Navatek; Collins denied wrongdoing, and the reported effort stalled after investigators were removed during the Trump administration. Left-leaning outlets emphasize the alleged bribery and the Trump administration’s role in disrupting the inquiry. Center outlets frame the story more as disputed allegations and political claims, pairing Collins’s denial and FBI responses—including statements that earlier inquiries found nothing implicating her—with coverage of the investigation’s interruption.
- ARTICLES
- 47
- OUTLETS
- 34
- AVG CRED
- 75
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