Graham, Clyburn FBI bribery probe
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
ProPublica reported the FBI opened a Capitol Hill bribery probe centered on Lindsey Graham's steakhouse dinner, then dropped it under Trump.
The late senator and Rep. James Clyburn deny wrongdoing.
Background
Lindsey Graham was the late Republican senator from South Carolina, and James Clyburn is a Democratic representative from South Carolina described as one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the House. The probe grew out of Martin Kao, CEO of Navatek, a Hawaii-based naval defense contractor, who told the FBI he traded campaign donations and gifts for naval contracts and that Graham and Clyburn helped steer federal money to his firm. ProPublica reported in October 2026 that the previously unreported FBI investigation had been effectively dismantled after President Donald Trump returned to office.
How it unfolded
- 2019Kao allegedly met with Clyburn and South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson offering a similar deal, according to the report; Navatek spent $4,799 on bourbon for several lawmakers and $102 on a fruit basket for Clyburn.
- Mar 3, 2020Graham met Navatek executives and a lobbyist at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, having required them to commit $40,000 in campaign contributions for a 45-minute meeting.
- Mar 2020According to Kao, Graham agreed at the steakhouse to steer a $10 million government contract to Navatek in exchange for $100,000 in campaign donations, on top of the $40,000 meeting fee.
- Early 2025The FBI opened a sweeping investigation into bribery on Capitol Hill with Graham's steakhouse dinner at its center.
- 2025Kao was sentenced to 87 months in jail for fraud.
- Jul 2026Graham died suddenly at age 71; Trump spoke at his D.C. memorial.
- Oct 20, 2026ProPublica published its report on the previously unreported FBI corruption probe; the FBI had eliminated the team working on the case upon Trump's return to office.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Representatives for Graham, Clyburn and Wilson deny Kao's quid pro quo allegations, and a spokesperson for Graham's sister Darline Graham, who is filling out his Senate term, called any allegation of wrongdoing by the late senator or his staff 'simply false.'
- Caution
- Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who faced a similar Navatek-related report, denied wrongdoing and dismissed Kao as a 'convicted liar.'
- Analysts
- Journalist Matthew Chapman wrote on X that Trump 'holds the consistent position that, Republican OR Democrat, bribery is not a crime,' saying he will not go after bribery even when his enemies are doing it.
Still unverified
Kao's quid pro quo allegations are denied by the offices of Clyburn, Graham and Wilson. The FBI named two former Navatek executives as subjects of a bribery investigation but did not designate Graham, Clyburn or Wilson as subjects, though agents indicated the lawmakers could become subjects in the future. The bourbon sent to lawmakers was 'likely' a violation of Senate gift rules, per the report.