Report Alleges Senator Collins Was Engaged in Cash-for-Contracts Scheme
Was this a genuine corruption case or a debunked smear?
Above: Susan Collins attends a Senate hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24. Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Federal dollars reportedly being steered to a contractor whose boss was writing six-figure checks through a fake company is extremely problematic. The bigger scandal, however, is that a promising corruption probe died after Trump political appointees gutted the units built to police Congress.
Republican narrative
These allegations are extremely questionable — especially with the midterms right around the corner. Investigators under a Democratic administration dug through it all, charged him alone, and found nothing on the senator or her campaign. Dropping this recycled story weeks before a razor-thin Senate race is deeply concerning.
