U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) looks on during a news conference calling to designate Russia as state sponsor of terrorism, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
A bombshell report from ProPublica published Tuesday shed light on a previously unreported FBI corruption probe into several lawmakers, one that unearthed several stunning revelations involving a bipartisan group of congressmen.
Here are six of the most significant discoveries from ProPublica’s reporting.
1. Lindsey Graham allegedly demanded $40,000 for a 45-minute “secret” steakhouse meeting
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) allegedly demanded $40,000 in campaign contributions in exchange for meeting with two executives and a lobbyist for Navatek, a Hawaii-based defense contractor. ProPublica learned of the meeting through an eyewitness and by reviewing thousands of pages of legal documents.
Held in a “private dining room” at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C., the dinner lasted 45 minutes, and according to Martin Kao, Navatek’s CEO, Graham was explicit in promising to steer a $10 million taxpayer-funded contract toward his company in exchange for a $100,000 campaign contribution pledge.
2. James Clyburn allegedly demanded $100,000 after learning of Lindsey Graham’s supposed quid pro quo
The FBI’s squashed corruption probe was not limited to Republican lawmakers. Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) also met with Kao over dinner and asked the CEO "how much he was donating to Graham and then asked for the same amount, $100,000," ProPublica reported, according to Kao’s statement to the FBI.
Clyburn’s spokesperson confirmed to ProPublica that the dinner between the South Carolina Democrat and Kao had occurred, but did not respond to questions regarding the content of their discussion.
3. The FBI probe was killed by the Trump administration
The FBI probe into alleged corruption of members of Congress was squashed shortly after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Trump “gutted the specialized FBI and Department of Justice teams dedicated to taking on public corruption” shortly after being sworn in, ProPublica reported, leaving “no one left” to investigate Graham, Clyburn and other lawmakers implicated in the short-lived probe, which was launched in early 2025 with “Graham’s steakhouse dinner at the center.”
4. FBI uncovered evidence suggesting Navatek helped write a congressional budget report
A budget report produced by the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Graham sat, included “an almost identical paragraph” to Navatek’s internal spreadsheets that predated the Senate committee’s report by two months, the FBI noted, suggesting the defense contractor was involved in producing the legislative report.
5. Navatek spent thousands of dollars sending bourbon and gifts to powerful lawmakers
The FBI discovered that Navatek had spent $4,799 to send bourbon to several lawmakers after the Senate advanced its version of the budget in 2019, and $102 for a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements to Clyburn. As noted by ProPublica, the bourbon was “likely” a violation of Senate rules regarding gifts.
6. Stray MAGA lawmaker implicated in FBI corruption probe
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) was also caught up in the FBI’s corruption probe, according to statements from Kao to the FBI.
Wilson, who was endorsed by Trump in both 2024 and 2026, also met with Navatek executives over a private lunch and solicited campaign contributions as part of an alleged quid pro quo, Kao told the FBI, adding that Wilson was “very clear and knew what the ask was.”
“He wanted however much Clyburn was getting in campaign contributions in exchange for his support,” ProPublica reported, paraphrasing Kao’s statement to the FBI.
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