Trump's FBI shut down probe into Navatek's alleged bribes to Sen. Collins

September 22, 2026 at 10:38 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The FBI under President Donald Trump shut down an investigation into alleged bribes by defense contractor Navatek to Senator Susan Collins. The probe centered on a 2019 meeting where Navatek executives sought a $500,000 donation in exchange for $32 million in Navy contracts. The shutdown occurred even as a federal grand jury later indicted Navatek CEO Martin Kao for illegal campaign contributions.

Key Facts

Navatek CEO Martin Kao sent $150,000 to the Collins super PAC through a shell company after the 2019 Corner Bakery meeting.
Kao told Navatek executives that Collins committed to securing $32 million in naval contracts, according to an internal company email reviewed by ProPublica.
A federal grand jury indicted Kao in 2022 for making illegal campaign contributions.
Kao gave FBI agents a 50-page document naming dozens of lobbyists, congressional staffers, and members of Congress he said helped trade cash for contracts.

The Corner Bakery Meeting

In late 2019, Scott Reed, head of the Collins super PAC, met with three Navatek executives at a Corner Bakery in Washington, D.C. Reed asked the executives for a $500,000 donation to support Collins' 2020 reelection campaign. Navatek CEO Martin Kao said the company wanted Collins to guarantee tens of millions of dollars in additional federal funding in exchange for the donation. Kao planned to funnel the donation through a shell company to conceal the source of the funds. Reed confirmed Collins would know where the money came from and that Navatek would get its government contracts, according to Kao's account to federal agents.

The FBI Investigation

The FBI saw through the shell company ruse and a grand jury indicted Kao in 2022 for illegal campaign contributions. Kao later recounted the Corner Bakery meeting to four FBI agents and federal prosecutors in Honolulu. He provided a 50-page document naming dozens of lobbyists, congressional staffers, and members of Congress he said helped him trade cash for contracts. No one working for Collins was charged in connection with the scheme.