U.S. senators to meet with Egyptian officials over accused NGO workers Sen. John McCain said he will address the situation of the detained Americans but won't try to negotiate their release. Nongovermental organization workers charged with operating in Egypt without licenses In December, Egyptian authorities carried out 17 raids on offices of 10 groups Cairo (CNN) -- A delegation of three U.S. senators, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, were in Egypt on Monday to meet with the country's military leaders and discuss the case of 19 American workers who face charges as part of an Egyptian crackdown on nongovernmental organizations. "I think this is a very difficult situation," McCain told ABC's "This Week." I am not a negotiator, but I think it's important that I and the other senators in the delegation explain to the Egyptian leadership ... that this is a serious situation, has serious implications for our relationship. The delegation also includes Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. The visit is part of a preplanned trip. McCain said that he will address the situation of the detained Americans but will not attempt to negotiate their release. "That is the job of the administration, but we will have conversations with military leaders and others who I have known for many, many years on a personal basis," he said last week on Capitol Hill. They are scheduled to appear in a criminal court Sunday, a spokesman for the Egyptian general prosecutor's office said. Among the Americans is Sam LaHood, director of Egypt operations for the International Republican Institute and the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. McCain is board chairman for the institute, which describes itself on its website as a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that "advances freedom and democracy worldwide by developing political parties, civic institutions, open elections, democratic governance and the rule of law." Freedom House's website says it "supports democratic change, monitors freedom and advocates for democracy and human rights around the world," supporting nonviolent civic initiatives in societies where freedom is threatened. The National Democratic Institute says it works to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide "through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government." Adel Saeed, a spokesman with the Egyptian general prosecutor's office, said the raids were part of an investigation into allegations that the groups had received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a proper license. The groups have denied any wrongdoing. The International Republican Institute has said the prosecution is a "politically motivated assault" that "reflects escalating attacks against international and Egyptian democracy organizations." While Egypt may call the situation "a legitimate judicial process ... the continued assault on American, German and Egyptian civil society is not a 'legitimate judicial process,' " the group said. "We're being accused of things we've never done," International Republican Institute President Lorne Craner said last month. We are told we have operated without registration, and that is true because we filed our registration papers 5½ years ago. We were told the papers are complete, and we're still waiting. Similarly, National Democratic Institute said it applied for registration in 2005 through the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "and has fulfilled all of the registration requirements for the past six years, including a number of updates provided in January." The group said it will "vigorously defend the accused personnel." "Despite promises made by Egyptian authorities to the highest levels of the U.S. government, we remain closed, our computers, files and cash still in the possession of the Ministry of Justice, and our staffs face hostile interrogations by investigating judges, and now the prospect of arrest and imprisonment," Freedom House President David Kramer testified last week before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Nowhere else in the world has any of our offices been treated as they are in Egypt. Documents also showed that foreign workers employed by the NGOs deliberately had tourist -- not work -- visas and did not pay taxes, prosecutors said. The crisis has jeopardized U.S. aid to Egypt and strained relations between the two nations. In a February 2 letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, 41 members of Congress urged the Obama administration to withhold further aid to Egypt until the country's leadership lets the organizations reopen and returns seized property. The situation may have been fueled by a sense of nationalism on the part of Egypt's military-led government, which assumed control following the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak a year ago, said Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It's better in the short term to be seen as standing up to the Americans," she said this month. ..." As the situation continues to be very unsettled in Egypt, the powers that be will look for a scapegoat. But both sides have "painted themselves into a corner," said Marina Ottaway, a senior associate at the Middle East program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Egyptians have made a legal case, she said, and the Americans will find it difficult to tell them to interfere with the work of the judiciary when they are trying to push democracy. Briefing reporters Friday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the agency's legal team has held a number of meetings on the situation. So we need to let that work go forward and hope we can solve this," she said. CNN's Moni Basu, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report.