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ProPublica reports FBI probed Lindsey Graham and Jim Clyburn over Navatek deals

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, mostly left-leaning (75%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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ProPublica published reporting that the FBI investigated whether Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative James Clyburn were involved in a bribery scheme tied to federal contracts won by Navatek, a Hawaiian naval defense contractor, in South Carolina. The New Republic, Salon and The Hill report it. According to the reporting, Navatek CEO Martin Kao told the FBI that he exchanged campaign contributions and gifts for naval contracts, and that Graham agreed to steer a $10 million contract to the firm in return for $100,000 in pledged donations. The New Republic and Salon say the FBI later eliminated the team working on the case after Trump returned to office. The bribery allegations rest on Kao’s account to the FBI, as the reporting describes it.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The FBI investigated whether Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. James Clyburn were involved in a bribery scheme tied to Navatek federal contracts.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, Salon
    Center
    The Hill

  2. ProPublica published the reporting on Tuesday.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, Salon
    Center
    The Hill

  3. Navatek CEO Martin Kao told the FBI that he exchanged campaign contributions and gifts for naval contracts.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, Salon

  4. According to Kao, Graham agreed at a March 2020 dinner to steer a $10 million contract to Navatek in exchange for $100,000 in campaign pledges.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, Salon

  5. The reporting says the FBI eliminated the team working on the case after Trump returned to office.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, Salon

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the FBI investigated whether Graham and Clyburn were involved in a bribery scheme tied to Navatek contracts, based on a ProPublica report. The left presents the FBI’s handling as a Trump-directed end to the probe, while the center headline names the investigation and attributes it to the report.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines name Trump’s FBI as the actor and use “killed”, “purge” and “saved” to say the probe was ended to protect the two politicians, with both headlines from Far Left outlets.

    Trump’s FBI Loaded verb“Killed”“Killed” describes the end of the probe with a violent verb, while the excerpt reports only that the team was eliminated and the probe’s status is not established.More neutral: endedDisagree with this highlight? Bribery Probe Into Lindsay Graham—and James Clyburn
    The New RepublicFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headline names the FBI investigation and attributes it to a ProPublica report, with no mention of Trump or of the investigating team being removed.

    FBI investigated whether Graham, Clyburn were involved in bribery scheme: Report
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left4

    massive pay-to-play bribery scandalKilledpurgesaved

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    massive pay-to-play bribery scandalMore neutral: alleged pay-to-play bribery scheme

    “Massive” and “scandal” present allegations that the coverage attributes to a source as if they were established.

    …Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn for a massive pay-to-play bribery scandal involving a Hawaiian naval defense firm.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    KilledMore neutral: ended

    “Killed” describes the end of the probe with a violent verb, while the excerpt reports only that the team was eliminated and the probe’s status is not established.

    Trump’s FBI Killed Bribery Probe Into Lindsay Graham—and James Clyburn

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    purgeMore neutral: staff cuts

    “Purge” adds a charged sense of wrongdoing to a staffing change that the headline does not otherwise describe.

    How Trump’s FBI purge saved Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn from a bribery investigation

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    savedMore neutral: ended the investigation of

    “Saved” asserts that the politicians were protected from an investigation, a conclusion the excerpt attributes to a source rather than to a record.

    How Trump’s FBI purge saved Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn from a bribery investigation

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s FBI ending the probe
  • Graham’s alleged deal for donations
  • Navatek CEO’s account to the FBI
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • SalonFar Left

    How Trump’s FBI Sensational language“purge”“Purge” adds a charged sense of wrongdoing to a staffing change that the headline does not otherwise describe.More neutral: staff cutsDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“saved”“Saved” asserts that the politicians were protected from an investigation, a conclusion the excerpt attributes to a source rather than to a record.More neutral: ended the investigation ofDisagree with this highlight? Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn from a bribery investigation

    Hawaiian naval firm filled South Carolina politicians’ campaign coffers and won federal contracts in the state

    Read at Salon (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by HuffPost. It counts once.

  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Trump’s FBI Loaded verb“Killed”“Killed” describes the end of the probe with a violent verb, while the excerpt reports only that the team was eliminated and the probe’s status is not established.More neutral: endedDisagree with this highlight? Bribery Probe Into Lindsay Graham—and James Clyburn

    The FBI was investigating South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn for a Sensational language“massive pay-to-play bribery scandal”“Massive” and “scandal” present allegations that the coverage attributes to a source as if they were established.More neutral: alleged pay-to-play bribery schemeDisagree with this highlight? involving a Hawaiian naval defense firm. …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)
  • HuffPostFar LeftSame report as at Salon

    How Trump’s FBI Purge Saved Lindsey Graham And James Clyburn From A Bribery Investigation

    HuffPost published a report that is shown in full at Salon.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • FBI investigation of possible bribery
  • ProPublica report as the source
  • Navatek federal contracts in home state

Leaves out

  • Trump’s return to office and the removal of the investigating team

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    FBI investigated whether Graham, Clyburn were involved in bribery scheme: Report

    The FBI investigated whether South Carolina's late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) and Rep. James Clyburn (D) were involved in a bribery scheme in connection with Hawaiian naval defense contractor Navatek acquiring federal contracts in their home state, according to a report published …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The New Republic, Oct 20, 9:29 AM EDT

  • Center

    33 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 10:02 AM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 20, 9:29 AM EDT
  2. SalonFar LeftOct 20, 9:53 AM EDT
  3. HuffPostFar LeftOct 20, 9:59 AM EDT
  4. The HillCenterOct 20, 10:02 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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