Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are executives at a defense contractor under investigation for possibly illegal campaign contributions to Sen. Susan Collins?

Thursday, May 20, 2021

By Stevie Rosignol-Cortez

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YES

According to a search warrant application obtained by Axios, executives at Martin Defense Group (formerly Navatek) are being investigated in connection with more than $150,000 in allegedly illegal contributions to the 2020 reelection campaign of Maine Sen. Susan Collins. Federal contractors are barred from making political contributions to campaigns for federal office. Martin executives are being investigated for reimbursing family members for contributions to the Collins campaign, which would also be illegal because it is considered to be “making donations in the name of another.”

The donations occurred after Collins helped the company secure an $8 million government contract. Axios said “there was no indication that Collins or her team were aware of any of it.” A Collins spokesperson told Axios that the campaign had no knowledge of anything alleged in the warrant.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US District Court, District of Columbia Search warrant application (obtained and published by Axios)

Federal Election Commission Contributions in the name of another

Federal Election Commission Who can't contribute to a campaign

US Senate Sen. Collins joins celebration of $8 million Navy contract awarded to Navatek in Portland

Axios Statement from Collins spokesperson Annie Clark

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.