FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins Until Trump Got in the Way

In Washington, a Hawaiian defense contractor, Navatek, and its CEO Martin Kao ran a scheme that funneled nearly $900,000 through shell entities and allied donors to curry favor with powerful lawmakers in exchange for lucrative Navy contracts. A Corner Bakery meeting captured the pitch: Navatek would bankroll a super PAC tied to Senator Susan Collins, and Collins would steer tens of millions in federal naval funding - Kao later told colleagues she committed to $32 million. Navatek quickly sent an initial $150,000, then benefited from appropriations and contract awards that internal emails show Collins’ office flagged and pushed toward the company. Much of Navatek’s work produced no usable military product, and Kao’s records and emails tied dozens of lobbyists, congressional staffers and members of Congress to influence-peddling.

Kao pleaded guilty to illegal campaign contributions in 2022 and cooperated extensively with the FBI, providing a 50‑page roadmap and hundreds of thousands of documents. By late 2024 agents believed they had enough evidence to open a sweeping bribery probe and contemplated undercover work, but the return of Donald Trump and a purge at the Justice Department eviscerated public‑corruption teams, shuttering the inquiry and ending cooperation with Kao. Collins’ office denies bribery, says it cooperated with investigators and repaid illicit donations; the FBI maintains prior probes found nothing implicating her.