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We’re back with our second story about how Trump’s purge of the FBI killed a sweeping bribery probe in D.C. This time, we take you to South Carolina, where two powerful politicians escaped scrutiny: Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. James Clyburn. THREAD 👇

2/ This story opens on a secret steak dinner: It’s March 2020, and Martin Kao, CEO of the defense contractor Navatek, has had to commit $40,000 in campaign contributions just to get this 45-minute meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham. But Kao would get what he was after...

3/ Graham agreed to steer a $10 million government contract Navatek’s way, Kao later recounted to the FBI. In exchange, he said, Graham asked Kao to pledge $100,000 to his reelection campaign.

4/ That’s not all Kao confessed. Facing prison for fraud, he was hoping to reduce his sentence. His entire business model consisted of bribing officials in exchange for government contracts, he told the FBI. What’s more, the research Navatek was providing was often worthless.

5/ In South Carolina, Navatek considered Graham its chief patron. But the company also wanted support in the House, internal records reveal. For that, Kao turned to the state’s top Democrat, Rep. James Clyburn, and another influential Republican, Rep. Joe Wilson.

6/ Over a meal, Rep. Clyburn asked Kao how much he was donating to Graham and then asked for the same amount, $100,000, Kao told the FBI. The FBI tallied $20,000 in contributions Kao and his family made to Clyburn only a few days after their scheduled meeting.

8/ Navatek struck another cash-for-contracts deal with Wilson, Kao told the FBI, at a private lunch he got by donating to Wilson’s campaign. Wilson, who has an influential role on the Armed Services Committee, wanted however much Clyburn was getting, Kao said.

9/ By early 2025, the FBI agents had already seized a trove of records from Navatek, and they could see that much of Kao’s account was lining up. At this point, the FBI was actively investigating Graham, Clyburn and Wilson’s interactions with Kao.

10/ The agents even indicated to their superiors that the politicians could become formal subjects of the bribery investigation in the future, according to records viewed by ProPublica.