Loui says what Kao "and his cabal did was wrong," distancing Navatek from him
Founder of Navatek, in a statement to ProPublica
“The company received no Collins-supported funding after Martin Kao's arrest, nor should it. What Martin Kao and his cabal did was wrong.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Anchor investigation reporting previously undisclosed FBI cooperation interviews, internal company emails, campaign and lobbying communications, and responses from Collins's office, the FBI, Scott Reed, Glen Mandigo, Andy Winer and Steven Loui. The article says Kao had credibility incentives and that no one working for Collins was charged.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Loui sold Navatek to Kao and later regained control of the company after Kao's arrest, renaming it PacMar.
After the quotation
Loui's statement did not address whether Collins or her office were aware of the arrangement Kao described.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Did Susan Collins Trade Federal Contract Support for Navatek Campaign Donations?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case's fixed reference point is whether Collins knowingly traded contract support for campaign donations. Loui condemns Kao's individual conduct and distances the company he founded from it, but does not address whether Collins herself was aware of or complicit in the arrangement. This reframes the wrongdoing as Kao's alone rather than directly evaluating Collins's conduct, so it challenges the scope of the allegation rather than condemning or excusing Collins.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Martin Kao
Did Susan Collins Trade Federal Contract Support for Navatek Campaign Donations?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“This is corruption of the highest order. Susan Collins delivered millions in taxpayer dollars for a corrupt donor bankrolling her campaign, and then Donald Trump helped her cover it up.”Read statement
“The seven-year-old allegations made against Senator Collins and her staff in this piece are categorically false. There have never been any allegations of wrongdoing by the Collins for Senator campaign, and the campaign was never the target of the FBI investigation.”Read statement
“I did not advise Navatek officials, nor would I advise any client, that support from Sen. Collins was contingent on campaign donations.”Read statement