US Gov’t Claims Ex-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Head Is An Agent For Egypt
US Senator Robert Menendez, already under the shadow of corruption charges, now faces additional allegations of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. This new indictment contends that Menendez and his wife, Nadine, provided “sensitive US government information” that benefitted the Egyptian government. These charges come on the heels of accusations of bribery, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
In September, prosecutors charged the Menendez couple with accepting bribes, including cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, and a luxury vehicle, all part of a scheme to leverage the senator’s influence to bolster US aid and military sales to Egypt. During a search of the senator’s New Jersey home last year, investigators uncovered $480,000 in cash and 13 bars of gold bullion worth an estimated $155,000, according to prosecutors.
The new indictment, filed by New York federal prosecutors on Thursday, alleges that the Democrat senator from New Jersey used his influence to breach his official duty in ways that favored the Egyptian government. While he was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position he stepped down from in September, he allegedly urged fellow senators to release $300 million in aid to Egypt and shared sensitive US government information with Egyptian authorities. This alleged conspiracy spanned from January 2018 to June 2022.
“ROBERT MENENDEZ, the defendant, further promised to take and took a series of acts on behalf of Egypt, including on behalf of Egyptian military and intelligence officials, and conspired to do so with WAEL HANA, a/k/a ‘Will Hana,’ and NADINE MENENDEZ, a/k/a ‘Nadine Arslanian,’ the defendants, who also communicated requests and directives from Egyptian officials to MENENDEZ,” the prosecutors said in a superseding indictment.
The indictment includes new photos of Menendez and his wife dining with Egyptian officials at a Washington, DC steakhouse. Nadine was quoted asking, “What else can the love of my life do for you?” This act potentially violates the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which prohibits public officials, including members of Congress, from acting as agents of foreign principals without proper registration.
Last month’s indictment charged the couple with three criminal counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under the color of official right. In response to the new charges, Menendez vehemently defended himself, stating, “Piling new charge upon new charge does not make the allegations true. I have been, throughout my life, loyal to only one country — the United States of America.”
Over 30 Senate Democrats, including fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, have called for Menendez’s resignation. Additionally, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman urged the Senate to consider a resolution to expel Menendez, emphasizing, “We cannot have an alleged foreign agent in the United States Senate. This is not a close call.”
Menendez, aged 69, has consistently refuted these claims as false and expressed confidence in his eventual exoneration. He has also resisted calls from many of his fellow Democrats to step down from the Senate.
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