Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Kao/Navatek funneled money through a faux nonprofit to a Super PAC supporting Collins to bribe her for government contracts. He then emailed Navatek executives confirming Collins would funnel $32 million to their company. He admitted to this to the FBI; there are paper trails of the money and emails confirming the corruption. Confronted with a lengthy prison sentence, Kao cooperated with investigators in hopes of securing a reduced sentence by exposing the full scope of the conspiracy. His disclosures"previously unreleased to the public"alleged that the Corner Bakery encounter was merely a single component of a widespread pay-to-play system implicating prominent members of Congress, beyond just Senator Susan Collins.

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During a three-day debriefing at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Honolulu, Kao detailed the mechanics of the scheme and submitted a 50-page document naming numerous lobbyists, congressional aides, and lawmakers involved in exchanging political money for contracts. In total, Kao and his inner circle funneled nearly $900,000 in campaign contributions to various politicians, enabling Navatek to expand across six states and capture more than $40 million annually in federal funding.

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#1 | Posted by retort at 2026-09-22 07:17 PM | Reply

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