Headline RoundupOctober 12th, 2023

Menendez Charged With Acting as Foreign Agent for Egypt

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife are facing new charges of acting as unregistered foreign agents for the Egyptian government. 

The Details: A superseding indictment, filed by a federal grand jury in Manhattan, alleges Menendez “provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt” between January 2018 to June 2022. According to the indictment, Menendez, his wife, and a business associate met with an Egyptian intelligence official in Menendez’s Washington, D.C. office in May 2019; shortly thereafter, the Egyptian official texted the associate that Menendez would “sit very comfortably” if he helped resolve objections to military aid sent to Egypt. “Orders, consider it done,” the associate allegedly replied.

For Context: Federal prosecutors previously accused Menendez of taking bribes to benefit three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government. Menendez stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee but refused to resign from the Senate, insisting on his innocence.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage appeared to be fairly similar across the spectrum Thursday morning. Both ABC News (Lean Left bias) and Fox News (Right bias) stood out by highlighting Menendez’s Democratic Party affiliation in their headlines.

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