In August 2024, The Washington Post detailed a multi-year Justice Department investigation that began after CIA intelligence in early 2017 indicated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wanted to provide about $10 million to help Donald Trump’s cash-strapped 2016 campaign. That contribution would have violated U.S. law barring foreign money in federal elections.
January 15, 2017 (five days before inauguration): An entity U.S. officials linked to Egyptian intelligence, the Research and Studies Center, requested a cash withdrawal of $9,998,000 from a National Bank of Egypt branch near Cairo airport. Bank records described employees packing $100 bills into two large bags totaling roughly 200 pounds, a sizable share of Egypt’s then-available U.S. dollar cash reserves. Four men collected the bags. The account was later closed.


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