A bombshell report has emerged alleging that former US President Donald Trump received $10 million from Egypt just days before he assumed office in January 2017. According to The Washington Post, this revelation prompted a secret investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which was later closed due to a lack of evidence.
The investigation began in early 2019 after US intelligence suggested that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi sought to funnel money to Trump to support his 2016 presidential campaign. Despite initial investigations, including those by Robert Mueller’s Team 10, the case was stalled by the fall of 2019. Trump’s then-attorney general, William P Barr, questioned the sufficiency of the evidence, leading to the case’s abrupt halt.
Secret Investigation Closed
The DOJ’s probe revealed that a manager at the National Bank of Egypt was instructed to withdraw nearly $10 million in cash from an account linked to Egyptian intelligence. Four men were reported to have transported the funds, which were described as weighing about 200 pounds. Despite these details, investigators found no direct evidence linking the money to Trump’s bank records, leading to the case’s closure in June 2020.
Team 10’s Findings
Team 10, led by Mueller, investigated the alleged transfer but found no evidence of the money either leaving Egypt or arriving with Trump. Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney who ultimately closed the case, stated that the evidence was insufficient to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Egypt’s Influence
The case raises concerns about Egypt’s potential influence over US officials, particularly given Trump’s favorable policies towards Egypt. In 2018, Trump’s State Department released $195 million in military aid to Egypt, which had previously been withheld due to human rights violations. Trump has referred to Sisi as his “favorite dictator,” fueling speculation about possible connections between the alleged payment and subsequent policy shifts.
Reactions
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, dismissed the allegations as baseless, attributing them to “Deep State Trump-haters” and accusing The Washington Post of spreading false information. Jason Miller, another Trump spokesperson, denied that the former president received any money from Egypt. The Egyptian government, through Ayman Walash, declined to comment on the matter, citing judicial and procedural sensitivities.
The closure of the investigation has not quelled concerns about foreign interference in US elections and the integrity of the electoral system.