Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Patel’s FBI Following Report Corruption Probe Tied to Sen. Collins Was Shelved
American Oversight Seeks Communications of Patel, Senior FBI Officials About Investigation Into Alleged Pay-to-Play Scheme
Friday, American Oversight launched an investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) handling of a public corruption investigation connected to Sen. Susan Collins. The watchdog filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking the communications of FBI Director Kash Patel and senior bureau officials about an inquiry that agents believed warranted expanding — before it was shelved after President Donald Trump returned to office.
The investigation follows a September 22 ProPublica report that agents in the FBI’s Washington anti-corruption squad had concluded by late 2024 that there was “enough evidence to warrant a broader investigation into bribery of members of Congress.” The inquiry grew out of the cooperation of Martin Kao, the former CEO of defense contractor Navatek, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes including routing a $150,000 contribution to a pro-Collins super PAC through a shell company. According to Kao’s account to the FBI, as reported by ProPublica, Collins told him privately in 2019, “you’ve seen me deliver,” after she secured federal research funding that benefited Navatek.
That work did not survive the change in administration. According to ProPublica, Trump appointees ordered the remaining Public Integrity Section prosecutors to halt new corruption cases in early 2025, after the section’s leadership resigned rather than carry out an order to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The New York Times further reported that FBI officials shut down the inquiry directly into Senator Collins. The specialized FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) teams that handled public corruption were “eviscerated.” At the FBI, Patel “purged the unit agent by agent,” according to ProPublica. On Oct. 7, 2025, Patel publicly announced he was disbanding CR-15, the anti-corruption squad where the agents worked, claiming it had “weaponized law enforcement against the American people.”
That same month, Michelle Ball, one of the two agents working the inquiry tied to Sen. Collins, was fired in a one-page letter stating she had “weaponized” DOJ. ProPublica reported that Ball was targeted for her earlier work on the special counsel investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The second agent, Kevin Gounaud, was pushed out in early 2026.
An FBI spokesperson told ProPublica that investigators had examined the claims years ago and “ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign,” but did not respond to questions about the investigation opened in 2024. Sen. Collins has denied wrongdoing, though ProPublica later noted that some of her claims in response to its reporting were “not true.”
“The Trump administration fired investigators, dismantled anti-corruption teams, and shut down new corruption cases. That sends a dangerous message: Whether you face accountability depends on whose side you’re on, who you’re willing to protect, and whose power you threaten,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight. “The FBI should follow the evidence, whoever it implicates. But with President Trump calling the shots and Kash Patel carrying out his orders, the public deserves to know: Is the FBI investigating corruption or shielding those responsible? Political loyalty should never determine who gets investigated and who gets a pass.”
In launching its investigation, American Oversight filed FOIA requests with the FBI seeking emails and text messages of Director Patel, as well as emails sent by the bureau’s general counsel, current and former leaders of the Washington Field Office, and current and former heads of the Office of Congressional Affairs, that reference Navatek, Kao, Collins, the agents assigned to the case, and other key terms. The requests cover Patel’s first months as director, the period surrounding Ball’s firing and Gounaud’s departure, and the days since ProPublica’s initial report.
The public has a significant interest in understanding why the FBI ended the probe into Collins and whether political considerations influenced that decision. Records showing how the bureau handled — and ultimately ended — its inquiry are essential to ensuring that the FBI’s power to pursue public corruption is not being selectively wielded to shield the administration’s allies.