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

ProPublica reports that FBI agents sought approval in late 2024 for a broader pay-to-play investigation growing out of defense contractor Martin Kao's cooperation, but that the work ended amid personnel and organizational upheaval. The reporting examines how political contributions, appropriations, lobbying and contracting can reinforce one another even when proving a criminal quid pro quo remains difficult.

The reporters reviewed legal records, internal company emails and the FBI's evidence, and interviewed dozens of people. They describe a $150,000 donation through a shell company, communications involving proposed naval funding and nearly $900,000 in political giving by Kao and associates as Navatek's government funding grew. Kao was a convicted felon seeking leniency, no one working for Collins was charged, and Collins' office denies bribery or pay-to-play. The article documents records and investigative interest; it does not establish a criminal quid pro quo.