The President's Daily Brief - September 25th, 2023: Senate Scandals, Long Range Missiles, and D.C. Deadlines

Episode Date: September 25, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief":   New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, faces serious charges including bribery, fraud, and extortion.   Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, President Joe Biden promises new missiles to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a move that could pivot the dynamics on the ground.   The clock is ticking in Washington D.C. as lawmakers hurry to avert a government shutdown. Find out the implications and the stakes in this political tightrope.   And in the Back of the Brief, uncover the intriguing story of Canada’s allegations against India concerning a Sikh activist's murder on Canadian soil. Unravel how Canada, with the help of the 'Five Eyes Alliance,' unearthed these shocking details.   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And here we are, the start of another week. It's Monday, September 25th. Now, you may recall that it was on this auspicious date back in 1970 that the Partridge family debuted on network television. Just a key piece of information to start out your week. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed.

Up first, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Up until recently, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee faces a serious indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, and extortion. The senator and his wife stand accused of leveraging his powerful position and compromising national security for personal gain. And it's not just a Jersey thing. Egypt is embroiled in this scandal. Next, in a significant move amidst the ongoing conflict,

As part of a new military aid package to Ukraine, President Biden has assured Ukrainian President Zelensky that the U.S. will provide the nation with long-range missiles, potentially altering the course of Ukraine's battle against Russia. And then a little later, the politicians in Washington, D.C. are at it again. Yes, it's Groundhog Day, as Capitol Hill braces for another government shutdown showdown. Lawmakers are racing against time to prevent the squeaky dysfunction. functional wheels of government from grinding to a halt. I'll explain what is and isn't at stake. Finally, in today's back of the brief, we've discussed Canada's allegations of India's involvement in a Sikh activist murder on Canadian soil. Now these allegations from Justin Trudeau,

thus far not backed up with evidence or details, have caused a major rift between the two countries. Today, we're getting some insight into what may have led to the allegations, aided by by the Five Eyes Alliance. But first, today's PDB spotlight. This morning, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, up until this past week, the chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is battling for his political life.

This comes just days after the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York unveiled a 39-page indictment against him with charges of bribery, fraud, and extortion. The indictment, lays out a tangled web, accusing both Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, of fostering a corrupt relationship with three Egyptian-American businessmen. The couple allegedly agreed to and pocketed substantial bribes, leveraging Senator Menendez's powerful position to shield and enrich these

businessmen. Payments purportedly ranged from cash and gold to assistance with a home mortgage and even a luxury car, a brand new Mercedes-Benz. Now, this is the second time in several years that Menendez has been accused of graft and corruption. In 2017, he allegedly took lavish gifts to pressure government officials to benefit a Florida eye doctor. The Justice Department dropped those charges in 2018.

But this time, things appear more complicated for the New Jersey Senator. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Menendez is accused of compromise national security by discreetly assisting the Egyptian government. He allegedly provided sensitive information, including details about personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, information that potentially could severely jeopardize operational security. The indictment also outlines instances where Nadine Menendez acted as a conduit informing the businessman about Senator Menendez's decisions

related to foreign military financing and sales of military equipment to Egypt. A search of the Menendez residence in June led to the discovery of $100,000 in gold bars and nearly $500,000 in concealed cash, some found stashed within clothing bearing the senator's name. Despite the apparent mountain of evidence, Menendez steadfastly denies the allegations, accusing prosecutors of distortion and affirming his commitment to his Senate work. That's nice. He just wants to be there for his constituents. There's no word yet on how he explained the gold bars and concealed cash. The mounting pressure, though, has led to his stepping down from his chairmanship. And numerous figures within the Democratic Party, including

Senator John Federman, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even New Jersey's Governor Phil Murphy are demanding Menendez's resignation. Despite these calls, Menendez firmly states, quote, I'm not going anywhere. Aha, signaling a tumultuous path ahead as he confronts his serious legal and political storm. Now, he was equally defiant during his last battle against corruption charges some five years ago. At that time, his colleagues weren't anywhere near as vocal about his situation. This time, though, the apparent damning evidence, along with the looming 24 election with its potential for flipping the Senate to Republican control, that has the Democrats lining up against him.

All right. Up next. President Biden announced a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine during a White House meeting with Zelensky this past week. Now, you might be saying, so what else is new? Well, something included in that package might be a game changer for the Ukrainian armed forces. I'll be right back. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th.

Tickets on sale now at Yamavah Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. In the final stretch of his North American tour, Ukrainian President Zelensky is leaving Washington, D.C., with a substantial commitment. Despite recent tensions between Ukraine and Poland that have at least temporarily caused Poland to cease arms and munitions transfers, Zelensky's diplomatic efforts in the U.S. Capitol have clearly been fruitful. During his meeting with President Biden at the end of this past week, the White House announced a new 320.

million dollar military aid package. This package is loaded with additional air defense equipment, artillery rounds, and anti-tank weapons. But beneath the official announcement, lies a potentially more significant commitment. Unofficial reports reveal that President Biden has assured Zelensky that the United States will supply a limited number of long-range missiles, known as the Army tactical missile system or ATAC missile system. This assurance reported by NBC, news, citing three U.S. officials and a congressional official is a major development. Ukraine has lobbied the U.S. government very hard for several months to obtain these missiles. So why are they viewed as critical? The range is the key here. The ATAC system will give Kiv

the ability to strike targets nearly 180 miles away, potentially disabling supply lines, railways, and command and control locations well behind the Russian front lines. The objective here is to degrade Russia's ability to resupply. Combined with advanced air surveillance and targeting abilities, the longer range from the ATAC system is a potential game changer, as Ukraine continues their counteroffensive heading into winter. Ukraine will also have the ability to deploy these missiles almost immediately, as they're already acquainted with the mobile rocket launchers that are used to fire them, the ground-based Himars system. The U.S. initially had reservation, about providing these missiles, considering our limited stockpile and concerns over Russia's

potential accusations of escalation. But today, those reservations seem to have evaporated, marking a significant bolstering of Ukraine's offensive and defensive capabilities. All right, as President Zelensky heads home with a pocket full of long-range missiles, or maybe he's just happy to see us, a looming familiar cloud hangs over Washington, D.C. the potential for yet another U.S. government shutdown. Lawmakers have until this Saturday to pass the necessary bills to fund the government or approve a short-term measure while negotiations continue. Now, since we've just discussed the new military aid package for Ukraine, it's important to note that the Department of Defense has contingencies in place to exempt certain operations from a government shutdown. According to the Pentagon, the exemptions will include the program that allows U.S. military training

of Ukrainian soldiers on tactics and equipment, as well as weapons shipments to Kiev. That means those new missiles, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and all the other hardware, are headed to the front, regardless of lawmakers' actions over the next week. This situation has irked those lawmakers who are now wary of the continued support for the war, because while the Ukrainians can breathe a sigh of relief that their military aid is safe, the American people are not exempt from the impending government shutdown's repercussions. If lawmakers fail to act by Saturday, the shutdown could halt critical government services that millions rely on. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid payments may face delays,

and those applying for these benefits could experience setbacks. Federal employees, including those working for the Department of Homeland Security and other vital agencies, face furloughs, adding another layer of uncertainty. National parks and museums may close their doors, the processing of passports and visas could come to a standstill, and that would put a dent in travel plans and impact the tourism industry. The housing sector could also feel the pinch, with the processing of federal housing loans facing potential delays. And small businesses, seeking federal loans will have to wait. hampering growth and possibly leading to layoffs. If this all feels somewhat familiar, well,

that's because it is. The last government shutdown was in late 2018, lasting for 34 days and stretching into 2019. All told, there have been 21 shutdowns during the past 50 years. The interesting aspect of this current situation is that past shutdowns have typically resulted from battles between whichever political party control Congress and the White House. In this case, though, the problem is essentially a dispute within the Republican Party, which maintains a small majority within Congress. All right, coming up in today's back of the brief segment, we've been talking during the past week about Canada's allegations of India's involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil. Now, we're getting tantalizing clues that the so-called Five-Eyes Alliance

may have played a role in helping Canada unearth details behind the allegations. I'll be right back. Welcome back. In today's back of the brief, we've been discussing the escalating tensions between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly revealed that Canada has heard serious allegations indicating that Indian government agents may have been responsible for the assassination in June of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil. Up to this point, Canada has not provided any evidence or details to back up Trudeau's comments,

which, of course, have ignited a firestorm of diplomatic recriminations. Well, today, the curtain may be lifting a bit as we learn about how Canada obtained insight into the assassination. According to the U.S. ambassador to Canada, our neighbors to the north cracked the case based on intelligence shared by a member of the so-called Five Eyes Alliance. Now, this long-standing intel-sharing collaboration, Uniting Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. plays a key role in the national security posture of the member nations. While there's no word yet on which allies supplied the key intelligence,

we know the findings are the result of a months-long investigation. This probe reportedly revealed communications from Indian officials and diplomats working within Canada, laying the groundwork for these serious allegations. allegations. The collected intelligence, sourced from surveillance of Indian diplomats, has now become the backbone, apparently, of Canada's claim, and is likely to sharpen the tensions between these two nations. And it's not just relations between India and Canada at stake here. The Indian government and media have been railing against the accusations for the past week, calling them absurd and baseless. If it turns out that the Five Eyes alliance developed the intelligence that proves

Canada's allegations, India, despite that evidence, may view it as a serious provocation from the West. The U.S. is keen to strengthen relations with India, but will not be able to gloss over the actions of the Indian government if the allegations do prove correct. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, 25 September. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. Until tomorrow, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.