Fact check
“By the end of 2024 agents had enough evidence to pursue a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers of both parties.”
Reasoning
Both excerpts from the ProPublica article state that by the end of 2024, FBI agents had sufficient evidence to launch a broad bribery investigation that could involve senior lawmakers from both parties. This matches the claim word‑for‑word.
On confidence: The claim is directly quoted in the provided ProPublica article excerpts.
Important context
The statement refers to an ongoing investigation described by ProPublica; it does not confirm that the probe was ultimately launched or resulted in charges.
Evidence
Supporting (2)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceFBI Eyed Susan Collins Over Defense Contractor’s Donations — ProPublica
confessions opened up an entirely new phase of the investigation. Agents sifted through hundreds of thousands of records seized during Kao’s arrest and found that many were consistent with his account of widespread influence peddling. Kao…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceFBI Eyed Susan Collins Over Defense Contractor’s Donations — ProPublica
evidence to pursue a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers of both political parties. They asked their supervisors to approve a new investigation and contemplated using undercover operatives to gather more evidence.…
Limitations
The evidence is limited to the ProPublica article; no additional independent sources are provided to corroborate the status of the investigation beyond the article's reporting.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 4:03 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the WayProPublica · William Turton