The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 3rd, 2024: Terror Strikes Iran & Menendez Indicted Again

Episode Date: January 3, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     A major terrorist attack in Iran on Wednesday at a ceremony marking the 4th anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Suleimani left more 100 people dead. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez faces new charges of accepting bribes and using his influence to help the government of Qatar. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Wednesday, January 3rd. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll start things off in Iran, where two large explosions at a ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Qasem Soleimani reportedly killed over 100 attendees. Then, we'll turn our attention to some U.S. domestic news, as New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who's already accused of using his political influence to benefit Egypt, has now been accused of using his power to help the government of Qatar. But first, our afternoon spotlight. This morning, two large explosions during a crowded memorial ceremony in the southeastern Iranian

city of Kerman reportedly killed over 100 people. The ceremony, taking place at the city's martyrs cemetery, was being held to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian IRGC commander Kassem Soleimani. Over 100 people are reported debt with many more injured as the death toll continues to rise. In the chaos, a stampede also injured numerous individuals attempting to escape the explosions. A senior Iranian official has labeled the blasts terroristic. The two explosions, occurring roughly 10 minutes apart, targeted the procession on the routes leading to the Garden of Martyr Cemetery, where Soleimani's body lies.

The cause of the explosions remains unclear, though Iranian media report the detonation of two bags of explosives remotely in the crowd's midst. Now, Iranian officials are currently blaming unspecified terrorists and vowing to track them down. Kassem Soleimani, as head of Iran's Kud's force, held significant influence in the country, second really only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini.

His role in directing Iranian proxy forces, in Iraq and Syria made him a central figure in regional conflicts. His death in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on January 3rd of 2020 was a pivotal moment in Middle East geopolitics. Now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, at least yet, but speculation in part is naturally gravitating towards Israel, especially given the recent Israeli drone strikes on Hamas's offices in Beirut. This strike resulted in deaths of several members of the group, including its deputy political leader. However, there's no direct evidence that suggests Israeli involvement in the explosions, not to mention that from an operational perspective, this doesn't fit Israel's style. Typically, Israeli operations in Iran have been

targeted and precise, focusing on the country's nuclear program and key personnel rather than indiscriminate mass casualties. Now, indiscriminate mass casualties have in the past been hallmark of Sunni versus Shia violence in the region, witness countless bombings in marketplaces, large events, weddings, and other gatherings, where the objective has been creating mayhem and loss of life. There have been similar attacks inside Iran in the past by various Sunni groups targeting the Shia population. ISIS, as an example, has claimed responsibility for various past attacks, including mosque bombings, and a deadly pair of attacks targeting Iran's parliament and the Tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini. Another prominent organization is the Sunni group Jaiš al-Al-Val, which has been

responsible for more than a half-dozen attacks in Iran, including a 2010 suicide bombing at a mosque in Sistan Balukestan, which resulted in 40 civilian deaths and numerous injuries. More recently, that same group, they executed a car bombing that claimed the lives of 27 members of Iran's IRGC. We'll keep a close eye on this situation and report as additional insight becomes available. Coming up after the break, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez faces new charges of using his influence to help the government of Qatar. I'll be right back. Olivia Rodriguez The unraveled across North America with special guests.

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See Verizon.com for details. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is beginning his new year, facing fresh criminal charges, alleging his corruption involving Middle Eastern governments runs deeper than previously revealed. A federal grand jury filed a second superseding indictment of Senator Menendez on Tuesday, alleging that he engaged in the scheme from 2021 to 2022 with a New Jersey real estate developer to aid the government of Qatar. He already faces charges that he unlawfully aided the Egyptian government, including passing them sensitive U.S. government information. In the new indictment,

prosecutors say Menendez helped New Jersey businessman Fred Dabes secure a multi-million dollar investment from a fund controlled by a Qatari sheikh in exchange for numerous bribes. These bribes included cash payments, the now infamous gold bars found at the senator's home, and expensive watches, according to a review of the indictment by NBC News. The indictment alleges that Menendez introduced dabs to the Qatari Sheikh, who was also a member of the Qatari royal family, and provided dabs with statements praising the government of Qatar. These were then shared by Dabes with the Sheikh and a Qatari government official linked with the investment fund. Around the same time the deal was under consideration, Menendez also made numerous public statements supporting Qatar and

helped push a Senate resolution supportive of Qatar through the Foreign Relations Committee that he chaired at the time. The indictment further alleges that Menendez personally reached out to the Qatari Sheikh, saying he hoped that he and Dave's reached a, quote, favorable and mutually beneficial agreement, end quote. Meanwhile, in encrypted text messages from 2021 regarding the alleged scheme, Dave sent Menendez pictures of watches, ranging in value from 9,000. $2,990 to $23,990, which that'll buy you quite the watch, saying, quote, how about one of those? Federal prosecutors say that Katari investors ultimately made a deal with Dabes in May of 2022 at a meeting attended by Senator Menendez, after which Dabes allegedly gave

Menendez, quote, at least one gold bar. As regular listeners of the PDB will remember, Menendez, his wife Nadine and daves, among others, were indicted in September for allegedly engaging in a bribery scheme meant to benefit themselves along with the government of Egypt. The superseding indictment is being tied into the September charges, which include conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent. In that indictment, we learned the search of Menendez's home by investigators in 2022 turned up 13 gold bar. previously linked to dabe's, along with $566,000 in cash, some of it stashed inside pockets of Menendez's jackets. Now, I don't know about you, but I keep all my fat stacks stuffed in random pockets of my suits in the closet. It's so much easier than using a bank, no paperwork, no pesky questions about where the stacks came from. It's a very practical financial solution

to the question, where do I hide lots of money that I otherwise can't explain. Now, all parties named in the indictments continue to deny any wrongdoing. A lawyer for Menendez said Tuesday that the new charges, quote, stink of desperation, and that the federal government is, quote, turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, three January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then. Stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.