In a recent bribery trial, former top U.S. agricultural official, Ted McKinney, painted a damning picture of Senator Bob Menendez. McKinney accused Menendez of attempting to thwart his efforts to disrupt an unexpected monopoly that had emerged over the certification of meat exported to Egypt.
This testimony was heard by a jury at a federal court in Manhattan.
The monopoly in question arose in 2019 when Wael Hana, a New Jersey businessman, was granted exclusive rights to certify that meat exported from the United States to Egypt met Islamic dietary standards. McKinney received a phone call from Menendez shortly after this development.
Hana is currently on trial alongside Menendez and another businessman. Prosecutors allege that Menendez and his wife received bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, including Hana, in the form of gold bars and substantial cash amounts. These bribes, given between 2018 and 2022, were allegedly in exchange for Menendez taking actions that would benefit their businesses.
Menendez, 70, his co-defendants, and his wife, who is set to face trial in July, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them since last fall.
The monopoly granted to Hana's company resulted in the ousting of several other companies that had previously been certifying beef and liver exports to Egypt. This transition occurred over a few days in May 2019, a rapid change that McKinney described as "very, very unusual."
"We immediately swung into action," McKinney stated, detailing the escalating measures taken by the U.S. to persuade Egyptian officials to reconsider their decision. However, their efforts were met with silence.
McKinney labeled Egypt's decision as a "rather draconian" one that would inflate prices. However, his attempts to intervene were halted by Menendez, who told him to "quit interfering with my constituent" and to "stand down."
McKinney tried to explain to Menendez the benefits of having multiple companies certify meat for export to Egypt, but was cut off by the senator. Menendez dismissed his concerns about the potential for high prices and the threat to the U.S.'s 60% market share for beef and liver in Egypt.
Despite Menendez's powerful position as the top Democrat on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, McKinney instructed his department and diplomats in Egypt to continue investigating why Egypt had abruptly changed its policies.
"We thought something nefarious was going on," McKinney admitted.
However, upon learning that the FBI was investigating the certification monopoly, McKinney instructed his department and overseas diplomats to stand down, stating, "Its in the hands of the FBI now."
The cross-examination of McKinney began late Friday, with Menendez's lawyer emphasizing Egypt's right to choose which company or companies handle the certification of meat exported from the U.S. to Egypt. The lawyer pointed out that Egypt had concluded the companies previously handling certifications were not doing so properly.
As he left the courthouse, Menendez urged reporters to pay close attention to the cross-examination.
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