In a stunning development, the Washington Post has revealed dramatic new details about an alleged bribery scandal involving former President Donald Trump. The report indicates that a high-stakes investigation into whether the Egyptian government illegally funneled $10 million to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign was abruptly terminated by former Attorney General Bill Barr.
Carol Leonnig, a lead reporter on the story, emphasized the severity of the allegations on X, formerly know as Twitter, calling them “the most serious in White House history.” She outlined three critical aspects that make the case so significant:
• Explosive Intelligence: The investigation stemmed from “jaw-dropping” CIA intelligence suggesting that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi sought to illegally support Trump’s campaign in 2016 with $10 million.
• Reliable Sources: This information was derived from a trusted CIA informant and corroborated by other U.S. intelligence sources.
• Financial Evidence: A $10 million cash withdrawal in January 2017 from an Egyptian spy agency account further validated the intelligence.
The Post’s reporting reveals that the CIA first briefed DOJ officials in early 2017 about the potential bribery, leading to the case being transferred to Robert Mueller’s team, who was investigating connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia. The investigation into the Egyptian link was named Team 10, referring to the $10 million involved.
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Team 10 discovered that Trump had a closed-door meeting with El-Sisi on September 19, 2016, just before the election, during the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Following this meeting, Trump’s campaign announced that he had assured El-Sisi of the U.S. being a “loyal friend” if elected. This quick embrace of El-Sisi, who had come to power through a military coup and was previously kept at a distance by the U.S., raised suspicions among investigators. Trump later invited El-Sisi to the White House as one of his first official guests and met him again on his first international trip.
Team 10 investigated whether the funds from Cairo to Trump constituted a breach of U.S. election laws and whether these funds influenced Trump’s decision to invest $10 million of his own money into his campaign in the final days before the 2016 election.
However, the investigation faced significant obstacles. Top DOJ officials blocked access to crucial bank records, and then-Attorney General Barr cast doubt on the evidence, ultimately bringing the probe to a halt. Barr directed the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jessie Liu, to review the classified intelligence and later instructed FBI Director Christopher Wray to oversee the investigation closely.
The investigation was officially closed in June 2020 by Barr’s appointee, citing “a lack of sufficient evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt.” This decision was at odds with the internal disagreements and the initial aggressive pursuit of the probe by Liu.
One source familiar with the case criticized the abrupt end, stating, “Every American should be concerned about how this case ended. The Justice Department is supposed to follow evidence wherever it leads — it does so all the time to determine if a crime occurred or not.”
