Republican Rep. Mark Walker has been caught up in a federal corruption probe that has rocked the North Carolina Republican Party and led to the indictment of former Rep. Robin Hayes.

A Walker-controlled political committee received $150,000 from business owner Greg Lindberg at the same time Lindberg allegedly asked him to pressure North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey to replace his deputy, according to a criminal indictment unsealed on Tuesday.


Walker, a member of GOP leadership, is not named in the indictment. However, POLITICO has identified him as "Public Official A" using the indictment and Federal Election Commission records.

The Justice Department announced indictments of four people Tuesday on charges of public corruption and bribery, including Lindberg and Hayes, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party until earlier this week. Lindberg and two of his associates allegedly tried to bribe Causey, who was working with federal authorities and not charged in the probe, to oust North Carolina Department of Insurance’s senior deputy commissioner. Lindberg allegedly sought more favorable treatment of his company in the state.

Texts and emails released by the DOJ said Walker was part of Lindberg's scheme to pressure Causey over the personnel move. Causey alerted law enforcement officials to what was happening in January 2018, according to the indictment.

The indictment mentions several contacts Walker reportedly had with Causey in support of Lindberg's secret campaign.


“Just between the 3 of us … [Public Official A] has already made two calls on our behalf and is trying to help us move the ball forward,” one of Lindberg’s associates wrote in a Feb. 12, 2018, email to Lindberg, according to the indictment. “I was also told that the $150,000 will be going to [Public Official A].”

FEC records show Lindberg donated to the Mark Walker Victory Committee on Feb. 17, 2018. Lindberg was the first donor to contribute to the committee, which was created only four days before his donation was recorded. The committee is a joint political fundraising committee between Walker’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee.

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Earlier, Lindberg donated more than $78,000 to a different Walker-affiliated joint fundraising committee, according to FEC records. Lindberg, founder and chairman of Eli Global and the owner of Global Bankers Insurance Group, is a major donor to both political parties, though the overwhelming amount of his contributions were to Republicans.

Walker denied any wrongdoing in a brief interview with POLITICO, saying he has “seen the insurance commissioner at different Republican events.”


“We’re not even part of this investigation,” Walker said of the federal criminal probe. “I’m not going to get into [that with] you with any kind of details. Two of those are constituents of mine. They reach out to me; one of them is the county chairman.”

Jack Minor, a spokesman for Walker, emphasized that Walker has not been charged or indicted and said that Walker has been fully cooperating with the probe, though he declined to say in what way. Walker has not been interviewed by investigators or turned over documents, Minor said.

"Greg Lindberg has contributed to both the Republican and Democratic Party. The February contribution went to the Republican National Committee and did not benefit Walker’s campaign," Minor said in a statement. "Walker is not and never has been a target of this investigation, and has committed no wrongdoing. He has assisted the DOJ.”

But even if Walker is not indicted, he could still face an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, noted several lawmakers and aides.

An attorney for Lindberg, Anne Tompkins, said Lindberg is innocent of the charges in the indictment and looks forward "to demonstrating this when we get our day in court.”

According to the indictment, an associate sent a text message to Lindberg after a February phone call with Walker, which read “I have discussed our NCDOI matter with [Public Official A.] ... Excellent opportunity available for support here.”

And in a July 2018 email to Lindberg, one of Lindberg’s associates wrote he had had lunch with Walker and “took the opportunity to talk with him about our issue with the DOI… I think [Public Official A] got the message and will reach out to [the COMMISSIONER] over the weekend.”

Walker, a former pastor, came to Congress in 2015. He took the helm of the Republican Study Committee in 2017, becoming the youngest member to lead the conservative caucus. Walker now serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.


Lindberg’s activities also are under investigation in Florida, where in 2017 he went from a political nobody to major GOP donor almost overnight.

Last year, Lindberg persuaded state legislators to pass a law that would help his companies, getting language inserted into legislation that would make it easier for out-of-state insurers, like his, to meet solvency requirements. The bill passed the state Legislature in March 2018.

While he lobbied the Florida House and Senate, Lindberg upped his political game. In November, Dunhill Holdings, a company in his name, gave $50,000 to a political committee controlled by then-Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican. Six days later, Dunhill gave $50,000 to a political committee for Jimmy Patronis, a candidate for state chief financial officer.

By the end of 2018, Lindberg had given more than $600,000 to dozens of Florida politicians, including $350,000 to committees backing Scott’s bid for U.S. Senate and nearly $80,000 to Patronis, whose office oversees elements of the Office of Insurance Regulation.

In January, the FBI subpoenaed the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation as part of the grand jury investigation in North Carolina.

Lorraine Woellert contributed to this story.