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Feds charge retired 4-star Navy admiral in alleged bribery scheme
DVIDS, Allied Joint Force Command Naples
Washington — Federal prosecutors accused a retired four-star Navy admiral — who most recently served as commander of U.S. Navy forces in Europe and Africa — of entering into an alleged bribery scheme with a government contractor to secure employment after his retirement.
A grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Admiral Robert Burke (ret.) on four counts, including conspiracy and bribery, according to court documents unsealed Friday.
Prosecutors said Burke allegedly secured a government contract for his codefendants Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger — described in the indictment as executives of an unnamed company that distributes “perks at work” and training programs — in exchange for a future job.
“Admiral Burke vehemently denies these charges and served his country honorably. We intend to take this case to trial and win an acquittal,” Burke’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said in a statement to CBS News.
Investigators alleged Burke, Kim and Messenger began communicating about a new contract for the “perks at work” company in 2021, years after the Navy officially cut ties with the corporation. According to court documents, they entered into discussions after Burke and his office had rebuffed the company’s initial overtures, citing U.S. Navy policy.
In April 2021, prosecutors said the trio spoke via WhatsApp. “Burke wants to work for us, but we’re asking for a deal first,” Kim allegedly said after the call, adding that Messenger “felt slimy,” the indictment revealed.
Weeks later, according to charging documents, Burke asked an unnamed individual to find funding to secure the company a contract from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. And in July, he allegedly met with Kim, Messenger, and another unnamed individual for lunch in Washington, D.C, during which time they discussed the admiral ensuring the company received its federal contract.
“In exchange [they] offered Burke a job at Company A – at a salary of at least $500,000 per year and a grant of 100,000 stock options…to commence after Burke retired from the Navy,” prosecutors wrote.
According to federal prosecutors, in August of 2021, the admiral gave notice that he intended to retire in May 2022.
By December 2021, investigators accused Burke of allegedly directing a contract be drawn up for the business. Weeks later, Burke’s unit submitted a purchase request worth over $350,000 for the company to carry out a training program in Italy and Spain. Prosecutors said employees working for Kim and Messenger’s company officially offered the training to Navy personnel based in those countries in January 2022.
Burke’s employment with the company commenced in October 2022, court documents alleged.
Kim and Messenger are listed as “Co-CEOs” at Next Jump, a New York-based company that offers “perks at work” and training programs to employers. The company did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment by CBS News and attorneys for the pair were not immediately identified.
Prosecutors also charged Burke with allegedly concealing his conduct from Navy officials while promoting the company’s work to others. He is accused of hiding the job offer he received from the company while still serving in the Navy and instead telling the Department of Defense he intended to “commence discussion” with Kim and Messenger after his retirement.
Parlatore, Burke’s attorney, called into question the timeline of events as described in the indictment and said the evidence will ultimately rebut prosecutors’ claims.
In a statement, Grand Fleming, deputy director at the Defense Department office of the inspector general said, “Today’s indictment exemplifies our unwavering commitment to eradicating fraud within the DoD.”
The Republican National Committee’s 2024 platform, approved by its platform committee and released Monday, is influenced heavily by presumptive presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, and in a change from prior years, it backs the rights of states to make their own abortion laws.
The 2016 RNC platform mentioned the word “abortion” 35 times and backed a constitutional amendment to ban abortion: “[W]e assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” the RNC’s 2016 platform said. “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.”
The Republican Party did not release a platform in 2020. And the 2024 platform only mentions the word once.
“We proudly stand for families and life,” the 2024 platform says. “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process,” but it goes on to say, “the states are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights.”
The platform has been initially approved by the RNC committee, but is expected to go to a full vote Tuesday and be officially approved the first day of the Republican National Convention next week.
It also goes on to express opposition to late-term abortion and support for “policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom coalition, previously expressed concerns about removing abortion language, but he appeared to fall in line and back the GOP platform as released.
“The Republican Party platform makes clear the unborn child has a right to life that is protected by the Constitution under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment,” Reed said in a statement. “That language has been in the GOP platform for 40 years and reflects the view of Ronald Reagan. While aspirational, it applies to both the states and the federal government. The proposed ban on late-term abortion also implies federal as well as state action. It is an unapologetically pro-life position, and we are grateful to President Trump and the Republican Party for standing for life.”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-chair Lara Trump focused on the economy and the border in their statement on the platform.
“Only President Trump can restore our economy, restore our southern border, and restore America’s standing in the world,” the two RNC leaders said in a joint statement. “His 2024 Republican Party Platform is a bold roadmap that will undo the devastating damage that Joe Biden’s far-left policies have done to this country, power President Trump to a historic victory in November, and Make America Great Again.”
The platform is titled, “2024 GOP Platform: Make America Great Again!” It bears clear signs of the former president’s influence, emphasizing enforcing border security and stopping the “migrant crime epidemic.” The platform includes a goal to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
The platform also proposes building a “great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country.”
Trump and his campaign have also adopted a new proposal in recent months — eliminating taxes on tips. Trump mentions it frequently at rallies, and it appears in the RNC 2024 platform, along with a promise to end inflation, which has been easing.
The GOP also states in the platform that there will be no cuts to Social Security or Medicare and no changes to the retirement age. It also says that the push for electric vehicles should be canceled and regulations should be cut. And it calls for “same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship” as means to “secure our elections.”
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