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The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

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Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

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Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Menendez May Be Worse Than We Know

Menendez May Be Worse Than We Know

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The brutal murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi – and the fact that MBS got away with it, with no consequences – is something I will never get over.  If any of this is true, as far as I’m concerned, Menendez can rot in the same circle of hell as Jared, for their complicity.

Interesting take on twitter from someone I have never heard of.   Full Threadreader version.

Full Threadreader version.

Earlier today a smart friend found an interesting detail in the Menendez et al. indictment, so I re-read the doc…& putting together the pieces, it does seem “Egyptian Official-5” introduced on p. 17 as a “senior Egyptian intelligence official” is Intel Director Abbas Kamel
1/x
The indictment says that on/a June 21, 2021, Nadine Menendez and a “Eg Official-4” organized a private meeting btwn “Eg Official-5” and Sen. Menendez at a Washington, DC hotel, prior to a meeting the next day (6/22/21) btwn “Eg Official-5” and other US senators.

2/x
The dates match up with what @Isikoff reported in this June 21, 2021 @yahooNews article: Egyptian intel chief Abbas Kamel “is visiting Washington this week to meet with US intelligence officials as well as members of the Senate Foreign Relations Ctte”

3/x – this part was a link to an article
Egyptian intelligence chief to face questioning over alleged involvement in Khashoggi killing
A human rights group is calling on members of Congress to interrogate the chief of Egyptian intelligence on Tuesday about a Yahoo News report that a Saudi plane carrying a team of assassins stopped in…
https://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-intelligence-chief-to-face-questioning-over-alleged-involvement-in-khashoggi-killing-221455670.html
The indictment says that on the day of Sen. Menendez’s private mtg, “he provided his wife with a copy of a news article reporting on questions that other US Senators intended to ask ‘Eg. Official-5’ regarding a human rights issue.” @Isikoff report suggests the issue was…

4/x
…Egypt’s potential involvement in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. “Senate staffers said…a number of senators are preparing to ask Kamel” about reports that the jet carrying the Saudi assassins made a middle-of-the-night stopover in Cairo to pick up drugs used to kill Khashoggi.

5/x
(@YahooNews reported that on Oct. 2, 2018, a Gulfstream jet carrying a team of Saudi assassins to Istanbul made a stopover in Cairo…to pick up a lethal dose of “illegal” narcotics that was injected a few hours later into Jamal Khashoggi, killing him)

6/x – this part was a link to a podcast
Exclusive: Saudi assassins picked up illicit drugs in Cairo to kill Khashoggi
The new season of Yahoo News’ “Conspiracyland” podcast reveals compelling new evidence that a Saudi hit team intended to kill Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi long before he walked into the S…
https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-saudi-assassins-picked-up-illicit-drugs-in-cairo-to-kill-khashoggi-090051483.html
Back to the indictment: it says (p. 17) that “Egyptian Official-4” told Nadine Menendez that in his private mtg with [Abbas Kamel] Sen. Menendez “raised the [human rights issue [Egypt’s possible role in Khashoggi killing?], we appreciate it.”

7/x
The indictment then says that 2 days after Sen. Menendez’s private meeting with [Abbas Kamel], Wael Hana “purchased 22 one-ounce gold bars, each w/ a unique serial number. Two of these gold bars were subsequently found during the June ’22 federal search of the Menendez home”

8/x
The indictment also says (p. 18) that when Sen. Menendez and his wife visited Egypt in October 2021, in what was originally planned as an “unofficial” visit, they had a private dinner at the home of Egyptian Official-5 [Abbas Kamel?]. The photo on p. 18 could be Kamel.

9/x
Is it unheard of that a US Senator, especially the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, would be invited to dine at the Egypt’s intelligence chief’s home when in Cairo?
Given the close intel ties between US and Egypt, I don’t think so.

10/x
What is unusual, to say the least, is 1) senator’s wife allegedly acting as a go-between to set up meetings with foreign officials, esp. a foreign intel chief 2) the senator’s wife allegedly being paid by someone w/ possible ties to foreign intel ()

11/x
and of course a senator allegedly having at his home gold bars purchased by someone who has close ties to a foreign government with key issues before the senator, and on whose behalf the senator reportedly intervened w/ USDA concerning his company…all unusual indeed.

12/x
and of course a senator allegedly having at his home gold bars purchased by someone who has close ties to a foreign government with key issues before the senator, and on whose behalf the senator reportedly intervened w/ USDA concerning his company…all unusual indeed. /end

Reader Interactions

82Comments

  3. 3.

    Maxim

    If those dots have been connected correctly, they need to nail his ass to the wall. (I am surprised by the notion that the Saudi assassins would have to leave the country to procure lethal drugs.)

  4. 4.

    WaterGirl

    @Maxim: It’s one thing to use your position for persona gain, but if he was involved in this, that’s a whole different ballgame.

    Not that the first is okay, but the second makes me want to throw up.

  5. 5.

    Ocotillo

    Nadine Menendez tells Ginni Thomas, “hold my beer!”

    Seriously, why would the Saudis have to stop in Cairo to pick up drugs?

  10. 10.

    SpaceUnit

    There’s been whispers and allegations about Menendez’s corruption for years.  This shit has had one hell of a long journey to the fan.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    @WaterGirl:

    It should be obvious the Supreme Court’s attitude toward their own corruption has spilled over into their rulings on other officials’ corruption.  I’m pretty sure Clarence Thomas could be prosecuted under honest services fraud if the Supreme Court hadn’t made it impossible to prosecute anyone.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    Well, this is good news!


    .

    .

  22. 22.

    Barbara

    @SpaceUnit: ​More than whispers. He has already been prosecuted once, but he was able to skate. The previous allegations involved a relationship with a long-term friend of his, a doctor in Florida. He intervened for him in various disputes, and received gifts in return. I don’t remember all the details, but the government couldn’t prove a quid pro quo.

    The prior incident didn’t involve the receipt of valuable items from a foreign government, which I think raises problems all on its own without regard to whether you did something official in return. That ramps up the seriousness considerably.

    One reason why Menendez has hung on so long is that he does go to bat for constituents and organizations located in New Jersey.

  24. 24.

    rikyrah

    Now, this twitter thread involving Saudi Arabia is a whole other barrel. If true, and can be proven, then, absolutely outrageous.

    But,still, he won’t resign.

     

    The Saudi Arabia thing needs to be what makes the Democratic Party walk away from him – en masse.

    Full throated, chest stuck out.

     

    He gotta go.

  26. 26.

    Dan B

    @WaterGirl: Great news and adds to the imminent end of the writers strike.  That and the revelation that the Reagan Foundation board, a member, called Trump “A spoiled brat in a sandbox.”

  28. 28.

    Cameron

    I believe that I am the perfect unity party candidate, if I can move back up north in time.  I honestly earned my Hispanic gold bars by destroying Jewish space lasers.  Is there anything I haven’t covered here?  MAGA! FUCK YEAH!

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: Yeah, if I had been on the grand jury in GA I would be totally pissed to have my name and all my information out there.

    I could not figure out how they could possibly get a jury in GA.  This will help a lot!

  33. 33.

    trollhattan

    No longer a rumor, Newsom and DeSantis will debate on Fox. What will DeSantis be polling by then, above 10%?

    California Gov.

    Gavin Newsom is officially set to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a long-awaited debate this fall on Fox News. The political rivals will meet on Nov. 30 at a location in Georgia with Fox News host Sean Hannity as moderator. Fox News on Monday announced the 90-minute event, which it is marketing as the “Red State vs. Blue State Debate.”

    How many ads in that 90 minutes? “Not presidential non-debate, sponsored by My Pillow.”

  36. 36.

    Lyrebird

    @NotMax: Not gonna click to read any more about it, but yes, OF COURSE he did, probably because it’s not listed on any gag order he’s currently under, and he still wants to threaten, bully, and demagogue.

     

    UGH

    UGH

    UGH

     

    Oh and re: Sen. Menendez, if he cared about his constituents or how busy the DOJ is right now,  he’d resign.  I doubt he does, so maybe he gets his day in court sooner than he would if he resigned first, I don’t know.  I bet Maj. Ldr. doesn’t want this crap, and also doesn’t want to lose a single D vote for the upcoming budget mess, so I won’t be surprised if he keeps singing a concerned but let’s have due process tune even with such grave allegations.

  39. 39.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl: ​
    Happy selfies with a former president* and a yahoo with a fucking gun (“no, really, it’s not loaded and that thing in the barrel is totally legit.”) is very on brand and must have the SS agents hyperventilating.

    “It happened on YOUR watch, Murphy!”

  43. 43.

    tobie

    Can anyone recommend a decent article on what’s going on right now between Armenia and Azerbaijan? I gather as many as 120,000 Armenians a border region in Azerbaijan that had been seeking independence. That’s a stunning figure.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    Viewing the video of the South Carolina gun store thing, everyone shown 100% whiter than Wonder bread.

    Quelle surprise (not).

  54. 54.

    Josie

    Did anyone else notice the grimace that he produced in the video, thinking it looked like a smile, and how quickly he dropped it once the picture was taken? It looked really fake and disgusting. Or maybe I’m just prejudiced.​
     ETA: I know, I know. Porque no los dos?

  58. 58.

    trollhattan

    @tobie: Update from today that includes a link to a lot of articles re. Nagorno-Karabakh

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66905581

    My understanding is Azerbaijian wiped out all of Armenia’s military on site protecting the enclave, in a couple days last week, with Russian “peacekeepers” taking a smoke break. Now there are over 100k unwanted Armenians trapped a good distance from the nearest Armenian border. They have little food and are unloved by the locals*.

    *Technically, they were the locals before last week.

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    There are people such as yours truly whose set-up is so configured as to never be exposed to anything but the most minimal of text (if even that) in embedded tweets.

    I know you find using tweets helpful. Not about to argue against that, merely a difference of opinion as to their universal utility.

  61. 61.

    JMG

    @Lyrebird: I have to assume Menendez’s attorney, since he can afford good ones, has advised his client to resign since that’s the way to get said client off page 1 and the lead on the six o’clock news back in Jersey and in DC where he’ll be tried. I also assume Menendez refused to take this advice.

  64. 64.

    Geminid

    @tobie: David Ignatius had a good summary of the Artsakh situation that was published this past weekend in the Washington Post. I’ve been following this story by looking up, “Artsakh News.” This is a still-developing story, so interested people would do well to scan the latest news.

    Armenian Americans are extremely upset about recents events. Southern California has a large Armenian American community, and they are planning a big demonstration at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley when Republicans hold their second Presidential debate this week (on Wednesday evening I think).

    But if you want to really understand what is happening, I suggest you read about the Armenian/Azerbaijan wars of 1993 and 2020, because last week’s Azeri offensive was a continuation of this long war, and perhaps its end. Wikipedia is one of several good sources for this.

  66. 66.

    Roger Moore

    @tobie:

    As I understand it, the underlying issue is the people’s ethnicity doesn’t nicely align with the national boundaries.  There is a large, predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, which is usually called Nagorno-Karabakh in the media, though that’s apparently the Russian name for the region rather than the name in either Azerbaijani or Armenian.  In the early 1990s, this resulted in a nasty, undeclared war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Armenia mostly supported by Russia and Azerbaijan by Turkey.  Armenia won the war and occupied a big chunk of Azerbaijani territory connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.  This was accompanied by a refugee crisis caused by both countries expelling people who were ethnically aligned with the other.

    In 2020, Azerbaijan, again backed by Turkey, started a new war to kick the Armenians out of the territory the Armenians had been occupying.  The Azerbaijanis won this war, though they didn’t immediately take advantage in their attempts to crush Nagorno-Karabakh.  That changed last year, when Azerbaijani “activists” shut down road connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively putting it under siege.  Azerbaijan recently expanded the siege to an actual invasion.  I think they’re only claiming they’re going to take practical control over Nagorno-Karabakh, but the ethnic Armenians there reasonably believe they’ll be attacked and are fleeing to Armenia before that can happen.

  67. 67.

    Geminid

    @trollhattan: Azeri forces did not wipe out Atsakh’s defenders. But they seized strategic points during their 2-day offensive last week that would have enabled them to overrun the rest of the 900-sqare mile enclave had Artsakh and Azeri officials not agreed to a ceasefire. Since then the two sides have been discussing the process of Artsakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan, at a town 60 miles north of the Artsakh capital of Stepankert.

  68. 68.

    wjca

    @Maxim: I am surprised by the notion that the Saudi assassins would have to leave the country to procure lethal drugs.)

    On many topics, including drugs, the Saudi Religious Police make even our reactionaries’ fondest fantasies look like flaming liberalism.  On pretty much any topic, other than military hardware, that you can think of.  So, not really surprising that drugs had to be procured outside the kingdom.

  69. 69.

    wjca

    @smith: Well, she had to go with something — it’s hard to get good visuals of the Space Lasers.

    What?!?!?  You mean a menorah isn’t a space laser?  Who knew?

  70. 70.

    Jay

    @wjca:

    there is also lots of rich and/or powerful Saudi’s engaging in debauchery tourism outside the KSA, drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, ect.

    Maybe a guy knew a guy,……………

  72. 72.

    gene108

    @WaterGirl:

    The Supreme Court is a big part of the reason he is still in office.

    The SCOTUS vote to dismiss the DOJ’s case against McDonnell was 8-0.

    I think there should be rules in place to make sure public officials avoid the appearance of impropriety, but the U.S. Attorney’s can be overly aggressive in wanting to press charges. I can’t just assume federal prosecutors always act in a judicious manner about pressing charges.

  77. 77.

    JaySinWA

    So now we have schrodinger’s cat Trump’s gun purchase. I was pretty sure it was theatrics, but the desire to plant the idea that he bought (or was given the gun) backfired.

  78. 78.

    Geminid

    @Roger Moore: A couple factors worth noting about the Armenian/Azerbaijan conflict: Armenia’s population is 2.7 million, while Azerbaijan’s is over 10 million. They were both poor countries when they achieved independence from the USSR, but Azerbaijan had oil fields and has since become relatively wealthy.

    That has enabled Azerbaijan to buy advanced Turkish and Israeli military equpment including drones. Last week’s war was essentially decided in the first few hours, when Azerbaijan destroyed the Armenian air defense systems.* After that, Azerbaijan controlled the airspace and the forces defending Artsakh had to either surrender or go down fighting.

    I think they made the right choice, but people in Armenia and in the large Armenian diaspora are furious about this outcome, and many of them blame Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan. Some people associated with the Armenian National Congress of America (ANCA) have gone so far as to issue thinly veiled calls for Pashinyan’s assasination.

    The Armenians’ anguish over Artsakh is understandible. Armenians have lived in this highland district for many centuries, and it is regarded as part of their heartland. Even if the Azeris do not drive the 120,000 Armenians out of Artsakh, their control of the district will be taken as a major cultural loss for Armenians.

    * The terms of the ceasefire that ended the 2021 war stipulated that Artsakh was to be disarmed. Armenia has since claimed that there was no Armenian military presence in Artsakh but this is doubtful.

  82. 82.

    taumaturgo

    @tobie:

    The main grievances between Armenia and Azerbaijan are over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it is de facto controlled by Armenia. The conflict dates back to the early 1900s, when both countries were part of the Russian Empire. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan. This led to a war between the two countries, which lasted from 1988 to 1994 and resulted in the deaths of over 30,000 people.
    The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has remained unresolved since the end of the war in 1994. Armenia continues to control the region, and there have been numerous ceasefire violations over the years. In 2020, the two countries fought another war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. A ceasefire was eventually reached, but tensions remain high.
    Internationally, Russia is the main superpower that supports Armenia. The two countries have a close military and economic relationship. Russia has provided Armenia with military assistance in the past, and it has also deployed peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh.
    Turkey is the main superpower that supports Azerbaijan. The two countries have close cultural and linguistic ties. Turkey has provided Azerbaijan with military assistance in the past, and it has also offered to help Azerbaijan retake Nagorno-Karabakh.
    The United States, France, and the European Union have all urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the conflict peacefully through dialogue. However, the two sides have been unable to reach a lasting solution.
    The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a complex one with no easy solutions. Both sides have legitimate grievances, and the region has a long history of violence.

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