The Secret Trump Investigation Nobody is Talking About
12 Sep 2024 (6 days ago)
Intro
- On January 15, 2017, five days before Donald Trump's inauguration, a bank manager in Cairo, Egypt received a handwritten note requesting a withdrawal of $9,998,000.
- The bank account belonged to The Research and Studies Center, an organization believed to be a front for the Egyptian intelligence agency.
- The FBI and federal lawyers suspect the $10 million was transferred to the Trump campaign as a bribe in exchange for loyalty, potentially violating federal law.
Egypt Wants Trump to Win
- The CIA discovered that Egyptian leaders, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, planned to send $10 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign shortly before the 2016 election.
- This information, obtained through a reliable informant and other intelligence operations, was classified and part of a secret investigation into potential foreign interference.
- The Obama administration had previously cut off billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt in response to human rights abuses under El-Sisi's rule, who came to power in a coup in 2014.
Trump and Sisi Meet Up 2016
- In September 2016, during his presidential campaign, Trump met with Egyptian President El-Sisi at the UN headquarters in New York.
- During the meeting, Trump expressed warmth towards El-Sisi, deviating from the US's stance of keeping Egypt at arm's length due to human rights concerns.
- Trump pledged to invite El-Sisi to the White House and stated that the US would be a "loyal friend to Egypt."
Trump Needed Money
- The Trump campaign was running low on funds needed for advertising and travel in the final weeks of the 2016 election.
- Despite pleas from his campaign to contribute financially, Trump initially refused to provide additional personal funds.
- On October 28th, 2016, Trump reversed his decision and announced a $10 million contribution to his campaign, structured as a loan to be repaid.
Let’s Check In
- Trump and El-Sisi are friends, and a Trump presidency would greatly benefit El-Sisi and his regime.
- Trump, who had refused to give money to his campaign in the final weeks leading up to the election, suddenly changed his mind and wrote a check for $10 million to his campaign, which was a loan to be paid back.
- Five days before Trump was inaugurated, $9,998,000 was taken out of a bank account associated with El-Sisi's intelligence agency.
The Investigation
- The Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether Egypt helped buy the 2016 election after receiving intel that El-Sisi signed off on giving Trump $10 million.
- The FBI requested Trump's personal bank records from May to November 2016 to look for large transactions but found no suspicious deposits from foreign entities of $10 million.
- After a court battle, the FBI obtained records from the Egyptian bank and learned about a $10 million cash transfer that occurred on January 15th, five days before the inauguration.
Shut it Down
- Bill Barr, a Trump ally and the head of the Department of Justice, questioned the validity of an investigation into Trump's financial ties to Egypt and attempted to limit its scope.
- Career investigators felt strongly that the investigation, which involved a $10 million cash transfer, should continue, but were met with resistance from Barr and other Trump appointees.
- The investigation was ultimately shut down, preventing investigators from determining if Trump had received the $10 million and if his actions as president, which benefited Egypt, were influenced by it.