Susan Collins’ DOJ Confirmations and Their Impact on Public Corruption Investigations
Maine’s senior senator, Susan Collins, has recently come under scrutiny for her votes to confirm key Department of Justice officials, which has sparked discussions on the handling of public corruption probes. These confirmations have gained attention amid revelations of an investigation involving Collins herself.
According to a ProPublica report, Collins was investigated by the FBI in 2024 for an alleged pay-to-play scheme. However, the case was dropped in 2025 as the Trump administration removed the FBI agents involved. Although Collins was not investigated by the DOJ unit, her support for its restructuring has raised questions about her involvement and potential political ramifications during her reelection campaign.
Collins has contested the accuracy of ProPublica’s findings, while the organization continues to stand by its reporting and has published further investigations to substantiate their claims.
In February 2025, Collins cast her vote in favor of Pam Bondi as attorney general. The following month, she supported Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s attorney, for the deputy attorney general position. Both nominations were supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats.
Bondi had previously advocated for investigations into those at the DOJ targeting Trump, citing an unfounded “deep state conspiracy.” Collins justified her vote for Bondi by referencing her examination of “background materials” and “personal in-depth interviews.”
In March 2025, NBC News reported that Bondi had managed the reassignment of several DOJ Public Integrity Section employees, a body responsible for investigating government official crimes. This followed resignations by several section members who opposed the DOJ’s decision to drop charges against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
David Laufman, a seasoned DOJ official, expressed concerns that Bondi’s reassignments indicated a preference for political appointees over career prosecutors in addressing government corruption. He warned of potential partisan motivations in future investigations and prosecutions.
In May, the FBI dissolved the public-corruption squad that had been investigating Collins.
Despite these developments, Collins did not join a call for a congressional examination into the reduction of public corruption units, a call supported by other New England senators like Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, and Peter Welch.
As Collins faces a competitive reelection race against state Sen. Troy Jackson, a September YouGov poll indicates the contest is in a dead heat.
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