Headline Roundup • October 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.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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Seth Wenig/AP
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act in a new indictment brought Thursday by federal prosecutors in New York.
Menendez, the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stands accused in the indictment of having conspired to work on behalf of the government of Egypt without registering as a foreign agent.
Menendez, while still a sitting member of the Senate, stepped down from his position on the committee last month after he was initially indicted on three charges over allegations he accepted bribes to use his position of authority to...
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal prosecutors filed new charges Thursday against Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., accusing him of violating a prohibition on members of Congress from acting as an agent of a foreign principal.
The superseding indictment said Menendez "made multiple requests for the U.S. Department of Justice to commence an investigation against another person for allegedly failing to register under FARA."
Menendez faced a sweeping indictment in late September accusing him and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using the senator's power and influence to seek to...
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) faces an additional charge of acting as a foreign agent, according to a superseding indictment filed Thursday.
Menendez is accused of conspiring with his wife, Nadine Arslanian, and New Jersey businessman Wael “Will” Hana to act as an agent of the Egyptian government between January 2018 and June 2022. They are each charged with conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.
“Among other actions, Menendez provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” the indictment reads.
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