Dems Ask Trump: Did You Take a $10M Bribe From Egypt in 2016?

A Deeper Look at the Allegations behind Raskin and Garcia's Letter to Trump

Today Democratic Rep. Jami

Today Dem Rep. (Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on its subcommittee for national security, the border and foreign affairs, released a letter asking Donald Trump if he ever illegally received money from the government of Egypt, and whether money from Cairo played a role in a $10 million infusion into his 2016 run for president. Let’s take a deeper look at what is known about what happened.

Timeline of Events and Evidence:

• Late 2016 – El-Sisi’s Alleged Offer to Trump’s Campaign: Reports from U.S. intelligence sources suggest that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed a desire to donate $10 million to Donald Trump’s campaign. This information reportedly surfaced through intercepted communications between Egyptian officials and was brought to the attention of U.S. investigators. The offer was allegedly discussed during the 2016 election cycle, although there is no direct evidence of Trump’s campaign formally accepting the donation.

• Early January 2017 – Cash Withdrawal from Egyptian Bank: According to The Washington Post and intelligence reports cited in their August 2024 investigation, $10 million in cash was withdrawn from an Egyptian state-run bank in early January 2017. This withdrawal was reportedly requested and authorized by Egyptian intelligence and occurred just days before Trump’s inauguration. US intelligence sources who were tracking the matter, learned that the money was placed in two large backs, filled with $100 bills , weighing over 100 pounds.

• Mid-January 2017 – Trump Injects $10M into His Campaign: Weeks later, Trump injected $10 million “personal funds” into his 2016 campaign, structured as a loan to pay off debts incurred during the final days of his run. The timing of this financial move, which was reported by Trump’s campaign to the Federal Election Commission, lines up suspiciously with the Egyptian cash withdrawal. But crucially — no one ever obtained access to Trump financial records to determine what the source of the $10M was. Thus what we have here is $10M withdrawn in Egypt, and $10M injected into Trump’s campaign — but there is no confirmed linkage between the two other than the timing and amount matching up.

• Trump’s Relationship with Egypt: Throughout his presidency, Trump demonstrated a favorable stance toward President el-Sisi, notably referring to him as “my favorite dictator” in public. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, his administration approved the release of $1.4 billion in military aid to Egypt, which had been held up due to Egypt’s poor human rights record. This relationship has been documented in various reports, including by The New York Times and The Washington Post 

• Investigation Stalls in 2019: Robert Mueller’s team initially pursued the bribery tip, but failed to reach a conclusion before Mueller was forced to hand it off to political appointees within the Department of Justice, including William Barr. The investigation stalled, and key evidence, such as Trump’s financial records, was never subpoenaed. These details were revealed by sources involved in Mueller’s investigation and were later corroborated by The Washington Post in their reporting

• January 2022 – Statute of Limitations Expires: The statute of limitations for criminal prosecution expired in January 2022, making further legal pursuit unlikely. However, the potential for civil litigation or congressional investigations remains open, which could help bring more facts to light. The Washington Post noted that civil actions could still be pursued, particularly if new evidence surfaces 

Conclusion:

While the evidence remains circumstantial, as any criminal defense lawyer will tell you — people are convicted all the time based on compelling circumstantial evidence. But without full access to Trump’s financial records, this will persist as a mystery until or unless there is civil litigation or a congressional inquiry.