The Trump administration is suing California over “billions” in healthcare fraud, the elderly mother of &#8220;Today Show&#8221; host Savannah Guthrie vanishes from her home, and the Senate votes to keep a federal agency alive after its CFO confesses to taking bribes.
It’s Wednesday, February 4, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">CMS Probes Fraud In California</h2>
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz says Los Angeles County has become an “epicenter for health care fraud,” sparking a battle with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Oz says his agency has identified billions of dollars in alleged Medicare and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dr-oz-blasts-minnesotas-deeply-insufficient-plan-as-feds-audit-medicaid-payments">Medicaid</a> fraud in California, largely tied to hospice and home care fraud. Scammers make fraudulent claims by enrolling people in hospice care when it&#8217;s unnecessary or is never actually provided. Fraudsters are billing the government for services such as grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning when these services are not provided. There appears to be a lot of coordination in Los Angeles County, specifically, essentially organized crime, to pull off these scams on taxpayers. Oz has suggested this is largely tied to the “Russian-Armenian mafia.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Nancy Guthrie Investigation</h2>
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show Host Savannah Guthrie, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bring-her-home-savannah-guthrie-pleads-for-mothers-return-after-abduction">disappeared</a> from her home in Tucson, Arizona, over the weekend, with investigators fearing the worst. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he believes Nancy was taken from her home in a “possible kidnapping or abduction.” Meanwhile, Savannah spoke out on Instagram late Monday, asking for prayers to bring her mom home, as this troubling case unfolds. “We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him,” Savannah wrote.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Foreign Aid Official Admits Taking Bribes</h2>
The chief financial officer of a federal agency providing aid to Africa will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-official-of-usaid-linked-foreign-aid-agency-to-plead-guilty-to-taking-bribes">plead</a> guilty to taking bribes. Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak revealed back in May that the African Development Foundation was doing exactly what the Trump administration suspected its larger counterpart, USAID, of doing: Using foreign aid to enrich D.C. insiders. The foundation is a federal agency that not many people knew existed until it became a hero to Democrat politicians and some media outlets when its staff locked the doors to prevent DOGE from entering. According to <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.288886/gov.uscourts.dcd.288886.1.0_1.pdf">court papers</a> filed Friday, the foundation sent $800,000 to a Kenya-based company run by CFO Mathieu Zahui’s friend. The friend paid Zahui a $12,000 kickback, and the company retained $134,886 for no work. And that is just one of many examples connecting the foundation to fraud. And yet, after Zahui’s plea, the Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/corrupt-foreign-aid-agency-lives-on-after-11-republicans-vote-against-defunding">voted</a> against abolishing the agency with help from 11 GOP senators.

MW_260204_V1

Morning Brief: California Healthcare Fraud, The Search For Nancy Guthrie, & Foreign Aid Corruption

Morning Brief: California Healthcare Fraud, Nancy Guthrie Disappearance, And Foreign Aid Corruption

Arizona

Bribery

California

Dr. Oz

Morning Wire

Savannah Guthrie

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday included testimony from a former hotel security guard claiming he was paid $100,000 to destroy footage of the rapper assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.
The footage went viral after being released by CNN in May 2024, a full year before Combs’ trial began. Eddie Garcia told the jury that he was approached by the rapper’s chief of staff, Kristina Khorrum, with an offer to exchange cash for destroying the video and all copies of it.
Garcia described an alleged phone call he had with Combs during which the rapper said he had “a little too much” to drink preceding the assault, saying “it could ruin him” if the video got out. “You know how it is with women,” Combs reportedly said.
The former security guard said it was promised that he would be taken care of, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/arts/music/sean-combs-diddy-trial-cassie-hotel.html">The New York Times</a>.
The witness said he turned down the rapper’s request at first, but eventually agreed. “He was excited, said ‘Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help. I knew you could do it,’” Garcia said of Combs.
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Garcia said he and his supervisor handed over the USB drive during a meeting at a high rise apartment building. &#8220;I was very nervous and my voice kept cracking,&#8221; the security guard said of the meeting. Garcia testified that he signed a non-disclosure agreement asserting that there were &#8220;no duplicates, backups, stored drives&#8221; containing the video and then was given $100,000 in cash in a paper bag.
The security guard said he was told “not to make any big purchases” because “it would draw attention.”
It’s not clear how the security footage wound up on CNN, as the outlet noted.
Ventura testified earlier during the trial, providing the jury with graphic details of alleged physical, sexual, and psychological abuse during her decade-long relationship with the Bad Boy Records founder. The defense claims that Combs had an unconventional sex life, but is not guilty of the criminal activities he’s been charged with.
Combs pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Combs and Cassie

Diddy Trial: Security Guard Claims He Was Paid $100K To Destroy Hotel Assault Footage

Courts

Manhattan

Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Sex Crimes

U.S.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he was pardoning a Virginia sheriff sentenced to 10 years in prison on bribery charges, saying the Biden administration had politically targeted the former law enforcement officer. 
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was issuing a full pardon to former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, who was convicted in December 2024 on charges that he handed out auxiliary deputy positions for money. Jenkins, who was set to report to prison on Tuesday, disputed the accusation and conviction, saying the prosecution was motivated by his conservative views. 
“Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ. In fact, during his trial, when Sheriff Jenkins tried to offer exculpatory evidence to support himself, the Biden Judge, Robert Ballou, refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade,” Trump wrote. “As we have seen, in Federal, City, and State Courts, Radical Left or Liberal Judges allow into evidence what they feel like, not what is mandated under the Constitution and Rules of Evidence.” 
“This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail. He is a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters,’ and ‘left for dead.’ This is why I, as President of the United States, see fit to end his unfair sentence, and grant Sheriff Jenkins a FULL and Unconditional Pardon. He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life,” Trump added. 
Jenkins first made national headlines back in 2019 when he promised to deputize thousands of Culpeper residents if the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature moved forward with strict gun control measures. 
“Every Sheriff and Commonwealth Attorney in Virginia will see the consequences if our General Assembly passes further unnecessary gun restrictions,” Jenkins <a href="https://wset.com/news/local/culpeper-sheriff-says-hell-deputize-residents-if-gun-laws-pass-in-virginia?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Facebook at the time. “I plan to properly screen and deputize thousands of our law-abiding citizens to protect their constitutional right to own firearms.”
He also later <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/04/17/law-enforcement-rallies-around-virginia-sheriff-caught-sting-operation-defying-democrats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">participated</a> in a phone call with other sheriffs discussing potential charges against Hunter Biden based on revelations from the laptop showing his drug use and questionable business dealings. 
After that call, Jenkins was wrapped up in a sting operation where federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/former-culpeper-sheriff-sentenced-10-years-federal-bribery-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he accepted cash bribes in the form of campaign contributions, including from two undercover FBI agents, in exchange for becoming auxiliary deputy sheriffs. 
In December 2024, Jenkins was convicted by a jury that found he took $75,000 in campaign donations in exchange for handing out auxiliary deputy badges. According to the Justice Department, those who bribed Jenkins were not trained or vetted and did not do legitimate law enforcement work. He was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison. 
“Scott Jenkins violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme,” Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Zachary Lee said at the time. “We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.”
After the trial, Jenkins maintained his innocence and said that he wasn’t given the opportunity to give his side of the story. 
&#8220;I truly believe if I could get an hour of time with someone in the administration and lay out some facts with my attorney and I really believe if they could hear the other side which I couldn&#8217;t get in front of the jury – I believe whole heartedly in the president,&#8221; he said during a video call. &#8220;I believe if he heard the information, I know he would help if he knew my story.&#8221;

Gun Rights Advocates From Across U.S. Rally In Virginia’s Capital Against Gun Control Legislation

Here’s Why Trump Says He’s Pardoning A Virginia Sheriff Convicted Of Bribery

Biden Administration

Crime

Donald Trump

Executive

Pardon

Politics

Virginia

Nadine Menendez, the wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), was convicted on Monday of accepting bribes in a scheme that involved her husband while he was chairing one of the most powerful committees in the Senate.
The 58-year-old wife of the former senator was found guilty on 15 counts in the same New York courtroom where her husband was convicted last year, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-21/bob-menendez-s-wife-convicted-of-bribery-scheme?srnd=homepage-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Prosecutors said that Nadine and her 71-year-old husband, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, were &#8220;partners in crime.&#8221;
Nadine&#8217;s charges included bribery, obstruction of justice, and conspiring to make Bob Menendez an agent of Egypt, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/nyregion/nadine-bob-menendez-wife-guilty-bribery-trial.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. During her husband&#8217;s time in office, Nadine helped Menendez collect bribes, including cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz. In return, the former Democratic senator who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pushed for military aid for the Egyptian government and helped secure a monopoly for an Egyptian American businessman, according to prosecutors.
“This is about the defendant being partners in crime with a U.S. senator, helping a politician put his power up for sale,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni said during closing arguments last week. “When there’s money on the line for her, the defendant sprung into action to get Menendez to take an official act or to promise that he would.”
The jury ultimately agreed with the prosecution after deliberating for over six hours. Nadine is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12. She faced a separate trial from her husband as she battled breast cancer. Last month, the former senator said it was &#8220;cruel and inhumane&#8221; to start the trial for Nadine while she struggles with breast cancer.
&#8220;My wife, who had breast cancer reconstructive surgery just days ago, is being forced by the government to go to trial tomorrow. Only the arrogance of the SDNY [Southern District of New York] can be so cruel and inhumane. They should let her fully recover!&#8221; Menendez <a href="https://x.com/SenatorMenendez/status/1901646953290568135" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
The couple began dating in 2018 and were married in 2020. During former Sen. Menendez&#8217;s trial, his lawyers attempted to shift blame to Nadine for accepting bribes without his knowledge. Menendez&#8217;s attorney, Avi Weitzman, argued that Nadine &#8220;kept him in the dark&#8221; about her financial struggles, and the couple had separate bank accounts and credit cards.
During a raid in 2022, authorities found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars in a closet and seized a Mercedes at the couple&#8217;s New Jersey home. Lawyers for former Sen. Menendez argued that he did not have a key to his wife&#8217;s closet. Menendez remained in his Senate seat following the bribery charges and throughout the trial. He finally resigned from the Senate after the guilty verdict.
The former Democratic senator is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/biden-sen-bob-menendez-seeks-pardon-trump-rcna188214" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump after he failed to get clemency from former President Joe Biden.

Bob and Nadine Menendez

‘Partners In Crime’: Wife Of Disgraced Former Dem Senator Convicted Of Bribery Scheme

Bob Menendez

Democrat

Senate

The Manhattan District Attorney&#8217;s Office charged Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the former chief adviser to New York City Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/eric-adams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Adams</a> (D), and her son with allegedly taking $100,000 in bribes from businessmen in exchange for taking official city action to help them.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin and her son, 38-year-old Glenn Martin II, allegedly received the money in written checks that were then cashed and used to buy a Porsche.
The men who offered the bribes were also charged in the four-count <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000193-e061-d8da-a5df-e5e30abb0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indictment</a> for the scheme that prosecutors said lasted from January 2022 through June 2024.
&#8220;It was the purpose of this conspiracy for Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the Chief Advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, to use her authority and influence in that position for the benefit of Raizada Vaid aka Pinky, Mayank Dwivedi, and/or entities owned and/or controlled by them and/or others, known and unknown, in exchange for United States currency and other benefits, including benefits to her son,&#8221; the indictment said.
Prosecutors said that her son acted &#8220;as an intermediary between&#8221; her and the businessmen &#8220;to communicate with, schedule and arrange meetings with, and receive payment and other benefits&#8221; from the businessmen.
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The businessmen were seeking help with getting construction projects approved by the city&#8217;s Building Department, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/nyregion/ingrid-lewis-martin-corruption-charges.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
A lawyer for Lewis-Martin said that the charges against her &#8220;will make no sense to any New York jury.&#8221;
“To think that a high-ranking city official would take a bribe in the form of a check deposited into a bank account defies common sense,” the lawyer said. “We look forward to the citizens of the City of New York, who Ingrid has served so admirably for decades, clearing her name after a trial.”
Investigators used wiretaps to record conversations between the defendants that were then quoted and included in the indictment. Defendants also communicated with each other through text messages and on encrypted apps.
Adams&#8217; inner circle has been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/nyregion/eric-adams-investigations.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">engulfed in controversy</a> for month as several officials, including Adams, have been hit with criminal charges for other alleged corrupt schemes.

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the press during the weekly

Ex-Top Aide To NYC Mayor Eric Adams Charged In Corruption Case

Eric Adams

New York City

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment this week against several <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mississippi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mississippi</a> Democrats over an alleged bribery scheme to enrich themselves.
The indictment, unsealed on Thursday in the Southern District of Mississippi, charged Hinds County District Attorney Jody E. Owens II, 43; Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, 41; and former President and current member of the Jackson City Council Aaron Banks, 47, of allegedly participating in the bribery scheme.
Prosecutors said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/mississippi-district-attorney-mayor-jackson-and-jackson-city-council-member-charged-bribery">statement</a>:
<blockquote>As alleged in the indictment, between approximately October 2023 and May 2024, Owens facilitated bribe payments to public officials in Jackson on behalf of two FBI undercover employees posing as real estate developers (the Developers) in exchange for at least $115,000 and the promise of future financial benefit. Owens instructed the Developers that, for their project to succeed, they needed to secure the support of certain public officials in Jackson through bribery. Those public officials included Mayor Lumumba, Councilman Banks, and former Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee. Owens instructed the Developers how much, where, and when to bribe those officials.</blockquote>
They said that the mayor accepted a $50,000 bribe from the developers in exchange for official actions that he took to advance their project.
Prosecutors alleged that the money was then laundered through Lumumba&#8217;s campaign before he cashed out his account.
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They alleged that Councilman Banks solicited a $50,000 bribe in exchange for his support for the project.
Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee <a href="https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2024/08/23/angelique-lee-jackson-ms-recording-accepting-bribe/74765961007/">pled guilty</a> in the scheme several months ago for allegedly accepting &#8220;a $10,000 debt repayment, $3,000 in cash, and a shopping trip worth approximately $6,000 in luxury goods in exchange for her votes in support of the Developers’ proposed development project in downtown Jackson.&#8221;
The news comes after the FBI raided a cigar business owned by Owens in May. Owens is <a href="https://capitalresearch.org/article/living-room-pundits-guide-to-soros-district-attorneys/">backed</a> by Democrat megadonor George Soros.
Owens was charged with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering; three counts of federal program bribery; using a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity; honest services wire fraud, money laundering; and lying to federal officers.
“The indictment alleges that Jackson’s mayor, the district attorney in Jackson, and members of Jackson’s city council conspired to accept bribes in exchange for official acts benefiting purported real estate developers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Officials who abuse their positions of authority to enrich themselves undermine public confidence in government. The Justice Department is committed to restoring that confidence by working with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption.”
Lumumba was charged with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering; federal program bribery; using a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity; honest services wire fraud, and money laundering.
Banks was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering; and one count of federal program bribery.

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investi

FBI Charges Soros D.A. And Other Mississippi Officials In Bribery Scheme

Mississippi

A retired <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> judge, who was also a former prosecutor, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday morning following a brief shootout with FBI agents trying to arrest him for bribery and corruption.
Sources <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/24/us-news/ex-nys-judge-prosecutor-apparently-kills-himself-as-fbi-arrives-to-arrest-him-on-corruption-rap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post that Stewart Rosenwasser, 72, was the subject of an FBI investigation into bribery and corruption, and allegedly opened fire on federal agents when they approached his home in Orange County, New York. Sources <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/retired-judge-stewart-rosenwasser-kills-campbell-hall-orange-county-home-fbi-arrive-arrest/15348982/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC 7 that Rosenwasser pointed a gun at a federal agent, who then fired a shot.
Shortly after the shooting, Rosenwasser barricaded himself inside the home and allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 9:30 a.m., according to the Post’s law enforcement sources.
The FBI released a statement following the incident, saying the matter is under review.
&#8220;The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred [Tuesday] morning in Campbell Hall, NY,” the statement said, according to ABC 7. &#8220;The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI&#8217;s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.&#8221;
Rossenwasser had been indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges, alleging that he had launched an investigation as a prosecutor in 2022 to help a longtime associate. That associate, Mout’z Soudani, had accused his sister and nephew of stealing about $2 million.
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Rossenwasser allegedly pocketed $63,000 to rig the case against the nephew, the Post reported.
“Any progress iam [sic] anxious thanks,” Soudani, who was also named in the indictment, texted Rosenwasser on November 18, 2022, according to the 43-page indictment obtained by the Post.
“Waiting to talk to investigator,” Rosenwasser allegedly replied. “Should know something today.”
“Believe me. I’m putting maximum effort into this,” Rosenwasser also allegedly said. “We will utilize all available assets.”
On March 8, 2023, Rosenwasser charged Soudani’s family members with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the money. Arrest warrants were issued, and when the family members appeared in court, they asked Rosenwasser to recuse himself because of his previous representation of Soudani in the 1990s.
Rosenwasser denied their request.
In June 2023, however, the District Attorney’s office removed Rosenwasser from the case. By March 2024, the case against Soudani’s sister was dropped and the nephew pleaded guilty to grand larceny in exchanged for a reduced sentence, the Post reported.
The sister and nephew later filed a $22.5 million lawsuit claiming the case against them was tainted due to Rosenwasser’s involvement. The scandal exploded in July when the FBI raided Rosenwasser’s home. Rosenwasser was also forced to resign from the District Attorney’s office at that time.
Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, seemed to throw water on reports that his father committed suicide.
“The only thing I feel compelled to point out is that the local news headlines are reporting that my father fatally shot himself while also reporting in the same article that the FBI field office issued a statement calling it an agent-involved shooting,” he told the outlet.

FBI Agent

Former NY Judge Dies By Apparent Suicide After FBI Standoff Over Corruption Charges

Corruption

New York

Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bob-menendez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bob Menendez</a> (D-NJ), who is accused of taking bribes to wield his influence to benefit foreign nations. 
Federal prosecutors have charged Menendez with 16 criminal counts, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/13/bob-menendez-trial-new-jersey-corruption" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, a charge accusing him of conspiring to act as a foreign agent for Egypt, obstruction of justice, and other related corruption charges. The allegations include claims that Menendez was bribed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz. 
Menendez was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when federal investigators say the bribery scheme took place. After he was first charged in September 2023, he stepped down as chair, though he is still on the committee. 
The trial, taking place in Manhattan, and expected to last weeks. Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, two New Jersey businessmen accused of being involved in the bribery scheme, are being tried with Menendez. A third alleged associate of Menendez, Jose Uribe, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/businessman-pleads-guilty-to-corruption-charges-will-testify-against-new-jersey-democrat-senator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> in March to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion.
Mendendez’s wife, Nadine, will be tried in July over accusations that she was part of the bribery scheme. During his plea deal, Uribe said that Nandine was given a Mercedes-Benz with the expectation Menendez <a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-uribe-federal-bribery-indictment-a7f1d893f1ee387f079161011e9dd37e?taid=65e2224817ae090001089d55&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">would</a> use “his power and influence as a United States senator to get a favorable outcome and to stop all investigations related to one of my associates.”
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According to federal prosecutors, the alleged bribes were intended to benefit Egypt and protect Hana, Daibes, and Uribe. 
“Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the indictment said. Federal authorities reportedly found gold bars and cash stuffed throughout the senator’s home that they traced back to the businessmen Menendez allegedly worked with. 
Menendez is also accused of ghostwriting a letter to other senators to urge them to support ending a hold on $300 million in military aid to Egypt, a letter reportedly written in coordination with his wife and the businessmen in question. Other charges say he attempted to use his influence to benefit Qatar. 
The New Jersey Democrat has pleaded not guilty to the charges and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-senator-menendez-poised-to-blame-his-wife-for-alleged-crimes-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> plans to blame Nadine. Menendez previously faced federal corruption charges in 2017, but the case ended in a mistrial.

Criminal Trial For US Senator Bob Menendez

Jury Selection For New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez Corruption Trial Begins

Congress

Egypt

New Jersey

U.S. Senate

HBO late-night talk show host John Oliver offered to pay Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a million dollars per year and give him a loaded tour bus if he retires from the nation&#8217;s highest court.
The leftist comedian, who was <a href="https://twitter.com/Arightside/status/1759898331445096712">accused</a> online of trying to &#8220;bribe&#8221; Thomas, made the offer on Sunday night: &#8220;One million dollars a year for the rest of your life, if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back.&#8221;
&#8220;Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the court right now, and he’s never really seemed to like the job. He said, ‘It’s not worth doing for the grief.’ So, what if he can keep the luxury perks he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief,&#8221; Oliver continued. &#8220;If you watch our show, you know jokes aren’t really our thing. This is real. A million dollars a year until you or I die.&#8221;
Oliver said that Thomas deserved a &#8220;break&#8221; from &#8220;the meanness of Washington so you can be surrounded by the regular folks whose lives you made demonstrably worse for decades.&#8221;
&#8220;The good news is, I think we can help you with that because since your favorite mode of travel might be in need of an upgrade, we are excited to offer you this brand new top-of-the-line cray boat marathon motor coach!&#8221; Oliver said of a multimillion-dollar tour bus that offered to give Thomas.
&#8220;So that’s the offer. $1 million a year, Clarence,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And a brand new condo on wheels. And all you have to do to return is sign the contract and get the f*** off the Supreme Court. Talk it over with your totally best friend in the whole world. Because the clock starts now. Thirty days, Clarence. Let’s do this!”
WATCH:
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“Get the f*ck off the Supreme Court!” John Oliver offers Clarence Thomas a luxury motor coach, and $1 million a year, to resign from the Supreme Court. (Video: HBO) <a href="https://t.co/LUVD6zC5o3">pic.twitter.com/LUVD6zC5o3</a>
&mdash; Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1759560551590760667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, posted a clip to X of remarks that Thomas made roughly a year and a half ago where he addressed his critics in left-wing media.
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“One of the things I&#8217;d say in response to the media … especially early on, about the way I did my job, I said, ‘I will absolutely leave the court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours — and that was meant as a compliment, really,” Thomas laughed. “It really is getting to be mean.”
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Justice Thomas to his critics in the media:
“I will absolutely leave the Court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours.” <a href="https://t.co/DdL6ySayGb">https://t.co/DdL6ySayGb</a> <a href="https://t.co/98qv23FzsO">pic.twitter.com/98qv23FzsO</a>
&mdash; Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCNSeverino/status/1759967346943266827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Late Night with Seth Meyers – Season 10

John Oliver Accused Of Offering ‘Bribe’ To Clarence Thomas To Leave Supreme Court

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Clarence Thomas

John Oliver

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Supreme Court

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Navy</a> service member was sentenced to just over two years in prison after he pled guilty to being bribed to send sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer. 
Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, a 26-year-old from Monterey Park, California, was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-navy-sailor-sentenced-27-months-prison-transmitting-sensitive-us-military-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to just 27 months in prison and ordered to pay a $5,500 fine after his guilty plea for one count of conspiring with an intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe. Zhao <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-navy-service-member-pleads-guilty-transmitting-sensitive-us-military-information-chinese" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could</a> have faced up to 20 years in prison, 15 years for the conspiracy charge and 5 years for the bribery charge.
“Mr. Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today, he is being held to account for those crimes. The Justice Department is committed to combating the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine our nation’s security and holding accountable those who violate our laws as part of those efforts.” 
He was paid at least $14,866 by a Chinese intelligence officer for sending information on the U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical infrastructure, according to the DOJ. 
Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, slammed the “slap on the wrist” that Zhao received.
“He stole secrets about things that could get Americans killed, things related to operational security, military training, and key facilities” Heinrichs told The Daily Wire. “He did it over and over and sold it to our chief enemy. His slap on the wrist sentence is shocking and sends the wrong message at a tense time when China is relentlessly trying to recruit agents.”
The Navy service member, who had a security clearance, worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California. The DOJ said that the bribery took place from August 2021 to May 2023 during which Zhao went into restricted locations to obtain information. 
The DOJ said that the information given to the Chinese intelligence officer included the plans of a large-scale training exercise in the Pacific and operational orders and documents on Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system in Okinawa, Japan.
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“Zhao betrayed his country and disgraced himself when he accepted bribes from an intelligence officer with the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “As a result, he has now been removed from the military and will serve time in federal prison. Today’s sentence shows that my office will swiftly act to root out and punish those who seek to undermine our nation’s security.”
The investigation was led by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation unit.

US Navy carriers Ford, Eisenhower in eastern Mediterranean

Navy Service Member Who Sold Secrets To China Sentenced To Just 27 Months In Prison

Communist China

Department of Justice

Spying

U.S. Navy

A Tuesday segment on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/msnbc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSNBC&#8217;s</a> &#8220;Deadline White House&#8221; got awkward when new allegations surfaced against embattled Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) — and his daughter was guest-hosting the show.
Alicia Menendez was sitting in for regular host Nicolle Wallace, and just before the show went to a commercial break, she announced that a breaking news update was imminent. &#8220;We have to take a quick break. And we’ll be back with some breaking news right after this,&#8221; she said.
When they returned, however, MSNBC host Ari Melber was in the anchor&#8217;s chair to deliver the news.
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Towards the end of today&#39;s broadcast of MSNBC&#39;s Deadline: White House, anchor Alicia Menendez &#8212; filling in for Nicolle Wallace &#8212; hands off to Ari Melber to report Sen. Bob Menendez&#39;s latest corruption charges.
The New Jersey senator is the MSNBC host&#39;s father. <a href="https://t.co/4S08CfqpfB">pic.twitter.com/4S08CfqpfB</a>
&mdash; Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) <a href="https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1742327161376182757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Hello, I’m Ari Melber with some breaking legal news,&#8221; Melber said. &#8220;New Jersey United States Sen. Robert Menendez now facing new allegations in a second superseding indictment which was filed by a federal grand jury from his DOJ prosecution.&#8221;
<a href="https://abc7ny.com/bob-menendez-superseding-indictment-senator-new-jersey/14261380/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As reported</a> on Tuesday by New York ABC News affiliate WABC, a second superseding indictment against the New Jersey senator alleges that he took &#8220;luxury watches&#8221; and other &#8220;things of value&#8221; in exchange for speaking positively about Qatar.
Co-defendant Fred Daibes is quoted in the indictment as asking Menendez, &#8220;How about one of these?&#8221; — after which he sent the senator a photo of the watches in question, which ranged in value from $10,000-$24,000.
On September 29, 2021 — just two days later — Daibes sent Menendez another message. This one addressed a Senate resolution that would show support for Qatar — and at the time, Daibes was also working to secure a real estate deal with the Qatari Investment Company.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-menendez-charged-with-acting-as-a-foreign-agent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Menendez</a> has already been charged with bribery and &#8220;acting as a foreign agent&#8221; in regard to his dealings with Egypt.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/msnbc-host-alicia-menendez-addresses-the-scandal-involving-her-father-bob-menendez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alicia Menendez</a> previously addressed the unfolding scandal involving her father, saying that while her network would certainly continue to cover the news as it happened, she would not be the one to deliver it.
&#8220;I will not be reporting on the legal case. That said, my colleagues across MSNBC and NBC News, they have aggressively covered this story, and they’ll continue to do so, as they should,&#8221; she said at the time.

Sen. Bob Menendez

MSNBC Segment Goes Sideways: New Menendez Allegations Surface While His Daughter Is Guest-Hosting

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MSNBC

At least four gold bars that federal investigators recovered during their search of Sen. Bob Menendez&#8217;s (D-NJ) home are directly linked to one of the men accused of bribing Menendez.
In 2013, businessman Fred Daibes filed a police report stating that he was the victim of an armed robbery and that the assailants took $500,000 in cash from him and nearly two dozen gold bars.
Police later caught the suspects and Daibes&#8217; property was returned to him, including the gold bars. According to Daibes, who had to sign a document certifying that the property was his, the gold bars all had unique serial numbers that would never be duplicated onto another gold bar.
&#8220;Each gold bar has its own serial number,&#8221; he told investigators at the time. &#8220;They’re all stamped … you’ll never see two stamped the same way.&#8221;
Four of the gold bars that investigators recovered from Menendez&#8217;s home have the same serial numbers as four of the 22 gold bars that were stolen and later returned to Daibes.
Daibes was charged in the federal indictment for allegedly conspiring to bribe Menendez and conspiring to commit fraud.
The <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23989441/us_v_menendez_et_al_indictment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indictment says</a> that Menendez and his wife had a corrupt relationship with New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes, who allegedly gave the senator bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the DOJ, the bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt.
NBC legal analyst Danny Cevallas said, &#8220;All of this spells bad news for Senator Menendez because the chain of custody – it appears – is going to be really easy to prove up.&#8221;
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-fetterman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Fetterman</a> (D-PA) called for Menendez to be expelled from the Senate last week after the U.S. House of Representatives expelled now-former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
“Senator Menendez, he needs to go,” Fetterman said. “And if you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate? And, you know, Santos is kind of, lies were almost, you know, funny. And like, you know, he, you know, landed on the moon and that kind of stuff.”
“Whereas, you know, I think, you know, Menendez, I think is really a senator for Egypt. You know, not New Jersey. So I really think he needs to go,” Fetterman said. “He has the right for his day in court and all that, but he doesn’t have the right to have those kinds of votes and things that — that’s not a right. And I think we need to make that kind of decision to send him out.”

Gold Bars Recovered In Menendez Bribery Case Linked To 2013 Robbery: Report

George Santos

John Fetterman

Robbery

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