FBI Pay-to-Play Probe Into Collins Fizzled After Trump Intervention

ProPublica reveals that the FBI opened a sweeping pay-to-play probe into Sen. Susan Collins linked to Navatek, a Hawaii defense contractor, centered on a 2019 Corner Bakery meeting where Navatek allegedly pledged donations in exchange for funding. A later confession from Navatek’s CEO, Martin Kao, described a broader scheme involving lawmakers and lobbyists, with Collins identified as a key beneficiary whose office steered tens of millions in Navy contracts. The investigation stalled after Donald Trump returned to power and purged anti‑corruption units in the FBI/DOJ. Kao pleaded guilty in 2022; Collins’s office denies any wrongdoing. Navatek later renamed PacMar, and ProPublica notes this is the first story in a series about pay-for-play in Washington.