Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign is fighting to steer clear of corruption accusations after a new report about her campaign contributions.
Collins’ campaign manager, Steve Abbott, answered questions from reporters for 30 minutes on Wednesday about ProPublica’s report that the Maine Republican had been scrutinized by the FBI’s anti-corruption group for awarding government contracts to the defense contractor Navatek after its CEO, Martin Kao, donated to a Collins super PAC.
Collins’ office denied the allegations and told ProPublica that her office “fully cooperated” with the FBI investigation. An FBI spokesperson told ProPublica that the agency “ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign” after investigating the claims years ago.
Both parties have focused their campaign messaging around corruption this year, with the word appearing in dozens of campaign ads. Connecting corruption among politicians to the electorate’s stress with the economy is a persuasive message to voters, strategists told The Washington Sun.
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Collins’ campaign attempted to pivot attention to the federal dollars Collins has sent to Maine as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“I will stay here all day — and don’t feel obligated to — but anybody who has any questions about these things, I’m happy to talk to you about them because it’s false,” Abbott told reporters in Portland, Maine. “They’re allegations from a guy who’s awaiting sentencing for a significant federal offense who’s trying to get his sentence reduced.”
Collins called the story a “partisan hit job” on a Wall Street Journal Opinion podcast on Wednesday hosted by editorial board member Kim Strassel.
“Shame on ProPublica for taking the words of a twice-convicted felon over my office, campaign staff and me,” she said. “It’s disgraceful.”
Collins has been dodging accusations of corruption the entire campaign. Her former opponent, Democrat Graham Platner, alleged that Collins used her position in Congress to send funds to a lobbying firm her husband worked for, which the Collins campaign denied. Platner dropped out of the race the next month over sexual assault allegations. She now faces Troy Jackson, the former president of the Maine State Senate.
Abbott also called the allegations “recycled” from the senator’s previous bid.
“We hear this every cycle that Susan Collins is corrupt,” Abbott said. “I mean, whatever. I’m just so, I guess, used to it, and it’s so tiresome. It’s the same thing over and over and over again.”
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