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  • This is the best summary I could come up with:

    NEW YORK (AP) — Powerful Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was charged Friday with secretly aiding the authoritarian government of Egypt and trying to thwart the criminal prosecution of a friend in exchange for gold bars and cash under a corruption indictment that accuses him of using his foreign affairs influence for personal gain.

    Other accusations include repeated actions by Menendez to benefit Egypt despite U.S. government misgivings over the country’s human rights record that in recent years have prompted Congress to attach restrictions on aid.

    His efforts include ghostwriting a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to lift a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt, one of the top recipients of U.S. government support, as well as transmitting nonpublic information to Egyptian officials about military issues, the indictment says.

    His trial on charges that he pressured government officials to resolve a matter involving a Florida eye doctor -- who had lavished him with gifts and campaign contributions — ended with a deadlocked jury.

    The indictment says that after the transaction was complete, Nadine Menendez texted her husband to say, “Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we are the proud owners of a 2019 Mercedes,” with a heart emoji.

    The new charges follow a yearslong investigation that examined, among other things, how Hana’s company — IS EG Halal — was able to secure sole authorization from the Egyptian government to certify that meat imported into that country meets Islamic dietary requirements.

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