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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Collins' campaign manager also repeated false claims yesterday, saying Kao “tried to sell this story to the FBI. They didn't buy it.” In reality, we report, agents sifted through 100,000s of documents to corroborate Kao and sought a full investigation based on what they found.

“Pursuant to a Grand Jury Subpoena issued to Navatek, related to the previous investigation, hundreds of thousands of documents were provided to the FBI,” agents wrote in a December 2024 document.

“Several emails and other documents corroborate Kao’s statements made to the FBI.”

In addition, people familiar with the investigation told ProPublica that FBI agents found Kao to be credible.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Here is what we reported. It accurately reflects what Kao told the FBI: that Collins wanted an agreement to donate before they met.

The first time Kao came face-to-face with Collins, in 2018, he told the FBI, he had to pay for the privilege.

Collins would not meet unless he agreed to donate to her campaign, he said. While it is not illegal for politicians to exchange face time for contributions — in this case, just a few thousand dollars — it was not the last time Collins would seek Kao’s support.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Kao told agents Collins wouldn’t meet unless he agreed to donate to her. Last night, Collins said, “We have a picture showing him meeting with me…that took place months before there was ever a contribution.” Her campaign released the pic. But that doesn’t contradict our story.

A grainy photo of Susan Collins, a middle-aged woman in a blue suit, seated at a conference table with Martin Kao, a middle-aged man in a quarter zip and suit jacket looking slightly out of place.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“You’ve seen me deliver.” That’s what Collins told Kao, he said, as her staff pressured him to up his donations. Kao wound up giving the Collins super PAC $150,000 in late 2019. Weeks later, according to an email, Collins’ office agreed to support $32m in new Navatek projects.

A photocopy of a hand-written check made out to 1820 PAC, the Susan Collins super PAC, for $150,000.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The contractor, Martin Kao, claimed he bribed Collins with campaign money for her help securing gov contracts for his boat-building company, Navatek. Kao routed $190k to Collins at a low point in her 2020 reelection effort. Collins steered almost $40 mil in contracts to Navatek.

Sen. Susan Collins smiles at the camera as she christens a boat in a warehouse in front of reporters and University of Maine engineers.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Killing a case this early, before the evidence is clear, is extremely unusual. “I’ve never heard of that happening before,” said one former prosecutor. The case even had sign-off from a Trump-chosen US Attorney. But a DOJ spokesperson dismissed critics as “deep state” members.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Sen. Justice is Trump's personal friend. His companies have been accused of thousands of environmental violations in civil courts but have never faced criminal charges. In 2016, they entered a consent decree to address 23,693 violations of the Clean Water Act.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

After a decade+ of nonstop pollution offenses, GOP Sen. Jim Justice's coal empire learned earlier this year that it was under federal criminal investigation. But before prosecutors could gather crucial evidence, Todd Blanche's office told them "pencils down."

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

“Friends of Trump” are now in high demand for uber-wealthy people accused of white collar crimes. One defense attorney said he would point clients to Ver’s deal—which Kise signed in giant letters—and say, “These are the guys who got this done.”

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

After Kise’s intervention, DOJ took prison off the table. They abandoned the criminal charges. They offered Ver a deal to go free if he paid $50m in taxes and fees–the same amount he allegedly owed 10+ years ago. Less than he recently paid for a luxury yacht.

Ver's 85 meter yacht pictured on the water at twilight

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

The billionaire, Roger Ver, is not hardcore MAGA. He’s a libertarian who renounced his US citizenship a decade ago on what he called “the happiest day of his life.” When he left, he controlled about 1% of the world supply of Bitcoin. The DOJ claimed he dodged ~$50m in taxes.

Roger Ver, a white man with a crew cut, smiles with a new passport to Saint Kitts and Nevis, where he became a citizen

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

A billionaire known as “Bitcoin Jesus” was under indictment for massive criminal tax fraud and very likely going to prison. Then, he hired a “Friend of Trump” and the criminal charges disappeared. How did they do it? Avi Asher-Schapiro and I spent months getting the inside story.

A man's suit lapel with two pins on it. One is the DOJ seal, the other is in the shape of a thumbs-up and says "Trump" on it.

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Some key examples: ⚖️Winston & Strawn turned down FBI agents trying to stop the DOJ from building a list of employees who worked on Jan 6 ⚖️A firm that sounds a lot like Sidley Austin is refusing to represent the ABA against the Trump admin ⚖️One of the 9 firms that cut a deal…

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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

I'm launching a new @propublica.org beat! Legal affairs under Trump: his assault on Big Law, his judicial nominees, his defiance of the courts, the politicization of executive branch legal offices, favor-trading for dropped investigations, White House legal strategy—you name it.

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