Disgraced former senator advised Egyptian officials to conceal role in Khashoggi murder

A forthcoming book claims that disgraced former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez counseled senior Egyptian intelligence officials on how to conceal their country’s role in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to details reported by the New York Post, the allegations, set to be detailed in “Gold Bar Bob: The Downfall of the Most Corrupt U.S. Senator” by authors Isabel Vincent and Thomas Jason Anderson, are based on court records from Menendez’s recent federal corruption trial.

The book is scheduled for publication in October.

The claims center on a June 2021 meeting between Menendez, then the powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Abbas Kamel, the director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate.

Kamel was reportedly in the U.S. to lobby for the release of over $300 million in withheld U.S. military aid, which was being held due to concerns over Egypt’s human rights record.

According to the book and court filings, Menendez advised Kamel on how to respond to anticipated questions from his Senate colleagues regarding Egypt’s involvement in Khashoggi’s killing.

Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and U.S. resident who wrote for The Washington Post, was murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that the operation was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Reports and court filings have alleged that the drugs used in the killing were obtained by the Saudi operatives from Egyptian intelligence.

Egyptian officials provided training to the Saudi “Tiger Team” responsible for the murder, suggesting an indirect role in facilitating the murder, which was executed by a 15-member squad at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Federal prosecutors briefly referenced the incident in their 2023 indictment against Menendez, stating he briefed the head of Egyptian intelligence on questions other senators were preparing to ask “regarding reports that Egypt had aided in a notorious human rights abuse.”

The indictment further alleged that Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who was acting as an intermediary, urged the Egyptian official to prepare his “rebuttals” and “answers.”

Nadine Menendez, who was also convicted on bribery and corruption charges, allegedly pressed her husband to assist the Egyptians in exchange for bribes, including gold bars and a luxury car.

She is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the slain journalist’s wife, condemned the alleged actions. “What Menendez did was sinful,” she told the New York Post. “It’s sinful when I hear that a U.S. senator accepted a bribe from a dictator to cover up a murder.”

Menendez, who was convicted on 16 felony counts, including bribery, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction, is currently serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison.

He has consistently denied all wrongdoing and has appealed his conviction. Reports indicate he has sought pardons from both former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.

The allegations, if true, represent a significant breach of the fiduciary duty placed upon a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which holds substantial influence over U.S. military aid and foreign policy.

The U.S. provides Egypt with approximately $1.3 billion in annual military aid, a relationship that is frequently scrutinized due to the country’s human rights record.