Disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., now serving an 11-year prison sentence for corruption and acting as a foreign agent, secretly advised Egyptian officials on how to deflect Senate scrutiny over their alleged role in the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to newly revealed details from court records and an upcoming book.
While chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in June 2021, Menendez reportedly met with Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate, as Cairo sought to unfreeze $300 million in U.S. weapons sales.
Prosecutors say he coached Kamel on how to rebut questions from fellow senators about reports that Egyptian operatives supplied the drugs used to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, called the revelations "sinful," accusing Menendez of betraying American values in exchange for bribes, which included gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. Menendez's wife, Nadine, who was also convicted in the scheme, is awaiting sentencing.
Menendez's alleged role in aiding a cover-up of the grisly killing — in which Khashoggi was drugged and dismembered — was briefly mentioned in his 2023 indictment. He has appealed for pardons from both former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
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