FBI Bribery Investigation Into Graham, Clyburn, and Wilson Ended After Trump's Anti-Corruption Purge
A sweeping Capitol Hill corruption probe centered on a Hawaiian defense contractor's alleged cash-for-contracts scheme was dismantled when the Trump administration eliminated specialized anti-corruption units.
What happened
In early 2025, the FBI opened an investigation into allegations that Navatek, a Hawaiian naval defense contractor, engaged in systematic bribery of members of Congress. Martin Kao, Navatek's CEO, confessed to FBI agents that his business model involved bribing public officials for government contracts and that much of Navatek's research was worthless. Kao specifically identified Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. James Clyburn, and Rep. Joe Wilson as recipients of campaign cash in exchange for steering federal contracts to Navatek. According to Kao's account to the FBI, Graham required a $40,000 contribution for a March 2020 steakhouse meeting and later requested $100,000 total in campaign pledges in exchange for a $10 million contract. Two experienced FBI agents investigating the case and a career prosecutor were swept up in Trump's purge of anti-corruption teams at the FBI and DOJ, and the DOJ's anti-corruption section was forbidden from filing new cases. As a result, the investigation ceased.
Context
The termination of this investigation removes scrutiny from senior lawmakers across both parties—Graham was a prominent Republican senator, Clyburn is among the most powerful Democrats in Congress, and Wilson sits on the Armed Services Committee with influence over defense spending. The case relied partly on Kao's cooperation, though he was a convicted fraudster facing prison time and thus had incentive to cooperate; however, FBI agents indicated they had corroborating documentary evidence from records seized from Navatek. The dismantling of the investigation follows Trump's stated objective of eliminating the anti-corruption infrastructure that had previously investigated him. Kao himself was sentenced to 87 months in prison in 2025 for illegal campaign donations and loan fraud, making him the only person in the alleged scheme to serve time. Graham died earlier in 2025; his sister Darline Graham was appointed to fill his seat and retained most of his senior staff and took up some of his committee assignments including appropriations.
What's disputed
Clyburn's communications director stated that donations would never cause the congressman to increase support for a donor's requests and that Clyburn assists universities in his district when called upon. Clyburn, Graham, and Wilson have not made public statements directly addressing the allegations. Graham died before the investigation's details became public. Collins, a Maine senator also probed by the FBI in connection with Navatek, denied wrongdoing and dismissed Kao as a 'convicted liar.'