Valerie Adams Files Ethics Complaint Against Senator Susan Collins

Attorney Valerie Adams filed a formal ethics complaint with the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics on October 8, 2026, alleging that Senator Susan Collins engaged in a pay-to-play scheme. The complaint claims Collins steered $8 million in government contracts to the Hawaii-based defense contractor Navatek in exchange for illegal campaign contributions from its former CEO, Martin Kao.

Senator Collins and her campaign have denied the allegations as outrageous. Collins stated her work with Navatek began in 2017, before any donations were made, and characterized Kao as a crook who is currently imprisoned for money laundering and bank fraud. To counter claims that Kao was required to donate to secure meetings, the campaign released records and a photograph showing a meeting occurred months before any contributions.

The dispute follows a ProPublica report suggesting the FBI had corroborated several of Kao's statements. ProPublica asserts that a corruption probe was abandoned after President Donald Trump disbanded anti-corruption units in 2025. The Collins campaign maintains that federal investigators had already dismissed Kao as a liar during previous inquiries in 2021.

Communications director Blake Kernen dismissed the complaint as pathetic, claiming Adams is parroting false charges following her recent loss in a Democratic primary. Adams has called for media attention to pressure the Senate Ethics Committee to open a formal investigation, though data indicates the committee dismisses 91% of such complaints without investigation.