Just days before Donald Trump was sworn into office in early 2017, employees of Cairo's state-run National Bank of Egypt were reportedly told to withdraw some $10 million in American currency by an account holder associated with Egypt's national intelligence service. Shortly before the suspicious withdrawal, Trump donated the same amount to his campaign — a conspicuous congruity that intensified a highly classified Justice Department investigation. The probe stemmed from an earlier CIA report that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was involved in a high-level effort to aid Trump's campaign.

The Washington Post has detailed this previously unreported cash withdrawal and the scale of the Justice Department's ultimately shuttered inquiry under then-Attorney General Bill Barr. So how will this renewed scrutiny of his foreign entanglements affect Trump's campaign? 

What did the commentators say?
While much of the country spent the bulk of the Trump administration focusing on alleged Russian influence, investigators pursuing these allegations said the trail of Egyptian money represented the "most concrete lead" they had of foreign meddling, The New York Times said. This is the "most serious allegation of a bribe in White House history," Carol Leonning of the Post said on X. 

The allegations may be "rock bottom" in America's long history of potentially criminal political bribery, said Will Bunch at The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Senate should "open a full-blown investigation, with efforts to subpoena Barr and other Justice Department higher-ups to explain in public why the case was dropped." Meanwhile, the allegations can "still be pursued as a civil case."

If proven true, the case "shows a much higher level of corruption" from Egypt than previously understood, The New Republic said. At the same time, "can anything be done about it"? It's unclear given the Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity.

What next?
Several lawmakers have begun calling for more information. The allegations present a "creepy tale" featuring "strange machinations" to round up the $10 million and to "shut down the investigation," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said on X. "This has a very bad smell." 

While the statute of limitations for federal illegal campaign contribution charges is nearly three years expired, it's "hard to imagine with reporting like this that the story ends there," Alex Wagner said at MSNBC. A spokesperson for the former president denied any wrongdoing and said the story is "textbook fake news."

In the age of social media, the Olympic Games are a fount of viral phenomena, whether it's breathtaking moments of athleticism or behind-the-scenes shenanigans in the athletes' village. These are five Olympians who have made an unexpected splash at the Paris Games. 

Henrik Christiansen 
The Norwegian swimmer was not a favorite to win a medal in Paris, and his name would ordinarily only be familiar to serious followers of the sport were it not for his "love affair with chocolate muffins," said NPR. Christiansen has shared his obsession with the gooey chocolate cakes served at the Olympic Village food hall in videos showing him "enjoying the sunset with a muffin in hand (and on face) and getting caught in bed next to a drawer full of pastries." 

Nada Hafez 
Most women who are seven months pregnant prioritize comfort, said The Guardian, but the Egyptian fencer "instead donned an electrically conductive jacket, a saber and a mesh wire mask." Even more remarkably, she reached the last 16 of the individual saber competition at the Paris Games.

Ilona Maher 
Playing center for the U.S. women's rugby sevens squad, Maher has the "biggest social media following of any rugby player," said The Associated Press, with 3 million Instagram followers and 2 million on TikTok. Fans love her body positivity and tongue-in-cheek humor, including a running joke in which the Olympic village is portrayed as a "Love Island"-esque setting for Maher and her teammates to find romance. 

Stephen Nedoroscik 
Having arrived at the Paris Olympics as one of Team USA's lesser-known gymnasts, Nedoroscik will leave as the star of the show. The 25-year-old's appearance and demeanor have earned him comparisons to Clark Kent, and, indeed, he appeared to undergo a Superman-esque transformation when he swung onto the pommel horse, pulling off a slick routine to secure Team USA's bronze medal. 

Kim Ye-ji (with honorable mention for Yusuf Dikec) 
South Korean sharpshooter Kim's "sci-fi shooter glasses and an ice-cold stance" (pictured above) were an instant sensation online, turning her into a "breakout style star," said GQ. And she was not the only viral Olympian to emerge from the sport. When Turkish shooter Dikec appeared in regular glasses and a plain white T-shirt, the stark contrast with Kim's futuristic getup did not go unnoticed. "No lens, no headphones, just vibes," Eurosport said on X.