$10M cash withdrawal in 2017 drove secret probe into whether Trump took campaign money from his "favorite dictator": El-Sisi of Egypt

[essentialsaltes]

$10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt​

Political appointees rejected efforts to search for additional evidence investigators believed might provide answers, then closed the case.

Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash.

Inside the state-run National Bank of Egypt, employees were soon busy placing bundles of $100 bills into two large bags, according to records from the bank. Four men arrived and carried away the bags, which U.S. officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency.

Federal investigators learned of the withdrawal, which has not been previously reported, early in 2019. The discovery intensified a secret criminal investigation that had begun two years earlier with classified U.S. intelligence indicating that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi sought to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign, a Washington Post investigation has found.

Since receiving the intelligence about Sisi, the Justice Department had been examining whether money moved from Cairo to Trump,potentially violating federal law that bans U.S. candidates from taking foreign funds. Investigators had also sought to learn if money from Sisi might have factored into Trump’s decision in the final days of his run for the White House to inject his campaign with $10 million of his own money.

Within months of learning of the withdrawal, prosecutors and FBI agents were blocked by top Justice Department officials from obtaining bank records they believed might hold critical evidence, according to interviews with people familiar with the case as well as documents and contemporaneous notes of the investigation. The case ground to a halt by the fall of 2019 as Trump’s then-attorney general, William P. Barr, raised doubts about whether there was sufficient evidence to continue the probe of Trump.

[Trump-appointed] Barr directed Jessie Liu, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in D.C., to personally examine the classified intelligence to evaluate if further investigation was warranted. Barr later instructed [Trump-appointed] FBI Director Christopher A. Wray to impose “adult supervision” on FBI agents

“The investigation referenced found no wrongdoing and was closed,” [Trump campaign] spokesman Steven Cheung said by email. “None of the allegations or insinuations being reported on have any basis in fact. The Washington Post is consistently played for suckers by Deep State Trump-haters and bad faith actors peddling hoaxes and shams.”

In the years since the Egypt case was closed, the Sisi regime’s ambitions to influence senior U.S. government officials have been laid bare by the bribery conviction of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Over the course of his presidency, Trump shifted U.S. policy in ways that benefited the Egyptian leader, a man he once called “my favorite dictator.” In 2018, Trump’s State Department released $195 million in military aid that the United States had been withholding over human rights abuses — a move that had been opposed by his first secretary of state — followed by the release of $1.2 billion more in such assistance.

TL;DR article continues...

 

[AlexB23]

$10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt​

Political appointees rejected efforts to search for additional evidence investigators believed might provide answers, then closed the case.

Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash.

Inside the state-run National Bank of Egypt, employees were soon busy placing bundles of $100 bills into two large bags, according to records from the bank. Four men arrived and carried away the bags, which U.S. officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency.

Federal investigators learned of the withdrawal, which has not been previously reported, early in 2019. The discovery intensified a secret criminal investigation that had begun two years earlier with classified U.S. intelligence indicating that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi sought to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign, a Washington Post investigation has found.

Since receiving the intelligence about Sisi, the Justice Department had been examining whether money moved from Cairo to Trump,potentially violating federal law that bans U.S. candidates from taking foreign funds. Investigators had also sought to learn if money from Sisi might have factored into Trump’s decision in the final days of his run for the White House to inject his campaign with $10 million of his own money.

Within months of learning of the withdrawal, prosecutors and FBI agents were blocked by top Justice Department officials from obtaining bank records they believed might hold critical evidence, according to interviews with people familiar with the case as well as documents and contemporaneous notes of the investigation. The case ground to a halt by the fall of 2019 as Trump’s then-attorney general, William P. Barr, raised doubts about whether there was sufficient evidence to continue the probe of Trump.

[Trump-appointed] Barr directed Jessie Liu, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in D.C., to personally examine the classified intelligence to evaluate if further investigation was warranted. Barr later instructed [Trump-appointed] FBI Director Christopher A. Wray to impose “adult supervision” on FBI agents

“The investigation referenced found no wrongdoing and was closed,” [Trump campaign] spokesman Steven Cheung said by email. “None of the allegations or insinuations being reported on have any basis in fact. The Washington Post is consistently played for suckers by Deep State Trump-haters and bad faith actors peddling hoaxes and shams.”

In the years since the Egypt case was closed, the Sisi regime’s ambitions to influence senior U.S. government officials have been laid bare by the bribery conviction of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Over the course of his presidency, Trump shifted U.S. policy in ways that benefited the Egyptian leader, a man he once called “my favorite dictator.” In 2018, Trump’s State Department released $195 million in military aid that the United States had been withholding over human rights abuses — a move that had been opposed by his first secretary of state — followed by the release of $1.2 billion more in such assistance.

TL;DR article continues...

Dang, this is sickening. Hopefully, Trump can be held accountable for this, or at least Egypt, cos this would be in direct violation of FARA (22 U.S.C. § 611), which is a law that was made in 1938.

In general, under U.S. federal law, it is illegal for a foreign national (including heads of state) to contribute money to a candidate's election campaign. This includes giving directly to a presidential candidate or through an intermediary. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) also prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or donations in connection with any elections in the U.S., whether directly or indirectly, including through political action committees (PACs).

If Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi was proven to offer $10 million to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, this would likely be considered a violation of the U.S. law because it involves foreign money being used for an election campaign in the United States. However, it is important to note that laws can be complex and may have exceptions or gray areas; thus, legal advice should always be sought when dealing with such matters.

Source: Foreign Agents Registration Act

 

[essentialsaltes]

Dang, this is sickening. Hopefully, Trump can be held accountable for this,

It's not clear that there is anything connecting Trump to "this". Coincidental millions might be enough to have Hunter Biden drawn and quartered, but at this point it remains a coincidence.

And as far as Egypt is concerned:

On Jan. 15, 2022, five years after the money left the bank in Cairo, the deadline for bringing charges under the federal statute of limitations for illegal campaign contributions expired.

 

[AlexB23]

It's not clear that there is anything connecting Trump to "this". Coincidental millions might be enough to have Hunter Biden drawn and quartered, but at this point it remains a coincidence.

And as far as Egypt is concerned:

On Jan. 15, 2022, five years after the money left the bank in Cairo, the deadline for bringing charges under the federal statute of limitations for illegal campaign contributions expired.

If the $10M can be connected to Trump's campaign, then he would be in direct violation of a law from 22 U.S.C. Darn, statutes of limitations man. Only 5 years? That is short. 15 or 20 years would be a better system for a statutes of limitation, but I am not a lawyer.

 

[Ana the Ist]

$10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt​

Political appointees rejected efforts to search for additional evidence investigators believed might provide answers, then closed the case.

Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash.

Inside the state-run National Bank of Egypt, employees were soon busy placing bundles of $100 bills into two large bags, according to records from the bank. Four men arrived and carried away the bags, which U.S. officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency.

Federal investigators learned of the withdrawal, which has not been previously reported, early in 2019. The discovery intensified a secret criminal investigation that had begun two years earlier with classified U.S. intelligence indicating that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi sought to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign, a Washington Post investigation has found.

Since receiving the intelligence about Sisi, the Justice Department had been examining whether money moved from Cairo to Trump,potentially violating federal law that bans U.S. candidates from taking foreign funds.

My jaw dropped when I saw this....

There's a law against accepting foreign campaign donations? The Saudis donated to the Clintons' "charity" literally every time they ran for office and quite literally stopped when they lost in 2016.

Investigators had also sought to learn if money from Sisi might have factored into Trump’s decision in the final days of his run for the White House to inject his campaign with $10 million of his own money.

Which is the real crime here....funding your own campaign so you don't have to obey your donor overlords can paint a very real target on your back.

Within months of learning of the withdrawal, prosecutors and FBI agents were blocked by top Justice Department officials from obtaining bank records they believed might hold critical evidence, according to interviews with people familiar with the case as well as documents and contemporaneous notes of the investigation. The case ground to a halt by the fall of 2019 as Trump’s then-attorney general, William P. Barr, raised doubts about whether there was sufficient evidence to continue the probe of Trump.

Makes sense...the previous FBI investigation into Trump was being investigated and frankly, it showed a severe lack of evidence to justify the warrants that were used to bug even the bugs around Trump. By 2019...it was growing late in the term to justify that sort of shenanigans again.

[Trump-appointed] Barr directed Jessie Liu, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in D.C., to personally examine the classified intelligence to evaluate if further investigation was warranted. Barr later instructed [Trump-appointed] FBI Director Christopher A. Wray to impose “adult supervision” on FBI agents

Well, they were acting like children assuming his guilt in the first investigation.

“The investigation referenced found no wrongdoing and was closed,” [Trump campaign] spokesman Steven Cheung said by email. “None of the allegations or insinuations being reported on have any basis in fact. The Washington Post is consistently played for suckers by Deep State Trump-haters and bad faith actors peddling hoaxes and shams.”

Steven should know better....WaPo isn't being played, they're begging for this. They'd tell the FBI to make something up if there weren't so many informants under the Biden administration.

In the years since the Egypt case was closed, the Sisi regime’s ambitions to influence senior U.S. government officials have been laid bare by the bribery conviction of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Over the course of his presidency, Trump shifted U.S. policy in ways that benefited the Egyptian leader, a man he once called “my favorite dictator.” In 2018, Trump’s State Department released $195 million in military aid that the United States had been withholding over human rights abuses — a move that had been opposed by his first secretary of state — followed by the release of $1.2 billion more in such assistance.

TL;DR article continues...

In many ways....this reminds me of the "secret classified documents binder" the bogus "witness" for January 6th "Cassidy" what's-her-name told everyone that story about which was really light on details.

Is there anything to the second half of this story like....evidence of anything? I'd like to tell you that the DOJ squashing a case regarding the president but we all remember this text....

The only thing that happened with this is the DOJ squashed it telling lead IRS investigators that anything leading to Joe was to be ignored. They also helped give Hunter's lawyers the heads up when they got a search warrant for hie shed they suspected had classified documents.

 

[Richard T]

It seems too simple. Why? Banks do not hold that much cash. A ST Louis Fed article suggests that each bank holds about 230 dollars per customer. The national bank of Egypt has 17.8 million customers and 640 branches. Each branch on average would hold maybe 6 million if even that since Egypt is a poorer nation. Yes, this might be their largest location, but you do not walk in and out with 200 million do you? I could not read as the article was behind the paywall

How much cash do banks keep in the vault? | FRED Blog

fredblog.stlouisfed.org

How Much Money Can a Bank Hold?

Be sure to bring your pennies and dollars to Wonderopolis today!

wonderopolis.org

I wonder too about the bank holding that many dollars. Seems dumb, since they could invest so much excess and earn interest. The article could still be true if they took a day or so to raise the cash. No doubt there would be at least several witnesses. Like where would Trump deposit the cash? Someone would have to count it. Even a 1 million cash deposit from Trump himself would raise suspicion.

Seems fake since it only is reported so much later just before an election.

 

[Hans Blaster]

It seems too simple. Why? Banks do not hold that much cash. A ST Louis Fed article suggests that each bank holds about 230 dollars per customer. The national bank of Egypt has 17.8 million customers and 640 branches. Each branch on average would hold maybe 6 million if even that since Egypt is a poorer nation. Yes, this might be their largest location, but you do not walk in and out with 200 million do you? I could not read as the article was behind the paywall

How much cash do banks keep in the vault? | FRED Blog

fredblog.stlouisfed.org

How Much Money Can a Bank Hold?

Be sure to bring your pennies and dollars to Wonderopolis today!

wonderopolis.org

That's US banks holding US currency that customers withdraw to use in regular transactions on the street. Here we are talking about a foreign currency (albeit a reserve currency).

I wonder too about the bank holding that many dollars. Seems dumb, since they could invest so much excess and earn interest. The article could still be true if they took a day or so to raise the cash.

It was according to the reports a large fraction of the Bank of Egypt's holdings of US currency. As to why have foreign cash lying around, it is a stable valued asset, like having gold in the vault, but much more fungible and useful. They will no doubt have a much larger collection of USD denominated bonds (and EUR bonds, etc.) for assets.

No doubt there would be at least several witnesses. Like where would Trump deposit the cash? Someone would have to count it. Even a 1 million cash deposit from Trump himself would raise suspicion.

People rarely just want $100,000 or more in cash. It is usually to hide a transaction or to distribute down stream. I am reminded of the large amounts (though not $10 M) of cash the Committee to Re-elect the President had in an office safe in 1972.

Seems fake since it only is reported so much later just before an election.

Much of it had been reported for many years. I think it is only the $10 M in cash withdrawal part that is new.

 

[Richard T]

yes, dollars are a reserve currency but this is not a Central bank, most banks would hold dollar denominated deposits in ways that would earn interest while at the same time satisfy part of their reserve requirements. It is the biggest bank in Egypt but likely they took some time and maybe even called ahead. Certainly, as a bank you are going to respond with the highest priority and unlike America there might not be any prying whatsoever. I have to wonder too how if it is real how politics might play into this. Perhaps even Trump could have been set up by democrats, or that the democrats wanted to keep it hush because it might affect relations with Egypt. Many politicians over the years have had links to foreign funds. Libraries and non-profits, payments for speeches etc. are legal though. If it occurred i hope there is solid evidence. I would think that over that many years this would be wrapped up. Also from what i can tell the statute of limitations is 5 years on straight bribery or federal campaign finance laws.

 

[Pommer]

If it occurred i hope there is solid evidence. I would think that over that many years this would be wrapped up. Also from what i can tell the statute of limitations is 5 years on straight bribery or federal campaign finance laws.

I dunno if advertising that a person is smart enough to evade prosecution by relying on the “statute-of -limitations”, really sends the message that you seem to think it does?